We are cricket-crazy and partisan, not Nazis. Stop demonising Gujarat crowd

#nationalinterest
No, it is definitely not a good idea to bring religion into sport. But all competitive sport is about passion. To expect a crowd to not be heavily partisan, particularly when India and Pakistan play on each other's turf, is a fantasy. Watch this week’s #NationalInterest with ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta.
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[@ThePrintIndia]

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[@sonmayur855]

we all know that jai shree ram in modern times are used for communal war cries, so ur whataboutry and saying stuff like o yes sports are about passionate partisan or he did namaz on field or look how other country are even more extreme wont work

[@AnemoiaGuy]

​@@sonmayur855yeah man ur absolutely right Indian fans say jai shri ram when Pakistan player was walking back to dressing room Will these fans do the same thing when a newzealand player or england player got out It's clearly visible they chanted jai shri ram to pakistan wicketkeeper because he's a Muslim

[@AnemoiaGuy]

Also I've seen another video in that same match when a little boy asked famous youtuber SPEED to chant ganapati mapa moriya

[@AnemoiaGuy]

Also I didn't expect this from u shekar ji Did Manchester fans chant glory to Jesus or jesus is the superior one to opponent teams

[@samsam198011]

😮ARREY COMPRIMISE GUPTA THEN Y PAKISTANI FAN NOT ALLOWED TO CHANT PAKISTAN ZINDABAD TO CHEER THEIR TEAM😂AND U R TELLING NOT TO DEMONIZE GUJRAT CROWD 😂😂

[@abhi.c137]

Great episode. Thank you Shekhar for calling out this ridiculous behavior by our press. Calling everyone you dislike a "Nazi" is a dangerous game.

[@ExploringAngel]

They need to know what a real Nazi means.

[@sauron2000000]

Indeed😂😂😂

[@varun2250]

@sauron 🐷 Hope you are enjoying these instead of the rarified commodity of Atta.

[@sauron2000000]

@@varun2250 I am in the city of your God Gopal Patha🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jomat6151]

But it’s same when anyone criticises ruling party and in return ruling party/it’s media wing label the person as anti national.

[@programmingeverything]

Who started to bring religion into sport? India or Pakistan

[@temp1851]

Who brought religion into anything since its formation.

[@watanabe00738]

​@@temp1851ofcourse porkistan

[@humanist641]

​@@temp1851of course muslim😅

[@suhashg8664]

We should not bring it now....

[@wandhatt]

Justifying wrong with another wrong.. lol..

[@Satya2408]

Crowd chanting pak jeetega in hyd was definitely not ear friendly for a true Indian. Jai hind.❤

[@IrfanKhan1]

Was that a match against India? Who were Pakistan playing in Hyderabad?

[@Bulldozz1-1]

That was the game against Sri Lanka so it’s fine.

[@venkatsai4578]

@@IrfanKhan1 you are right bro , I was about to put same question .

[@yogendranathreddy6412]

@IrfanKhan1 doesn't matter which team is playing against Pakistan nobody in India should support Pakistan

[@venkatsai4578]

@@yogendranathreddy6412 and why ? And whom do you support when a match happens between Pakistan and England ?

[@nehaht]

No to allowing Pakistani fans to visit India especially when the country is in a dire state as the terrorists might see this as an opportunity to send some of their own to disrupt the tournament.

[@humanist641]

Last time only people who got visa are still in our country and God only knows where they are

[@gbfriend420]

I seriously hope Indians start watching news and commentary from neutral sides... The image most Indians have of Pakistan is funny, they have no idea what life is like on the other side of the border Pakistan doesn't have terrorists roaming around, if we Pakistani believed everything we saw on news then India was worse place then hell where ure prosecuted both for Ur ethnic background and also your caste. It kind of is also funny that Indians believe everything fed to them by their governments or media. I hope BJP stays in power for next 20 years so ppl realise in the long run why Pakistan was a need and not a wish of a single man (like Indian media tries to play it off)

[@balancedopinion8915]

The crowd chanted Jai Shreeram at Rizwan because he offered namaz on the ground and post match injected politics by siding with Palestine without saying anything against Hamas barbarism. The crowd is intelligent enough to counter the religiosity with its own and counter politics by its own view on the opponents in international politics.

[@adminasylum1304]

Praying in crowd doesn’t mean he is enforcing his religion or be lilting any other religion. It’s a faith he follows and is personal to him. His win dedicated to Palestine was something similar. He tweeted about it. He never came at you or your crowd. The man didn’t even budge or said a word about the crowd chanting at him. What the crowd did was humiliating.. and was blown out of proportion. He follows his own faith, hasn’t enforced it on anyone, made no comments/attacked people from a different faith. India has economically grown and is headed to greater things. But such mindset and hatred on such smaller things shows as a nation it’s still a decade behind..

[@suragshastry7192]

​​@@adminasylum1304If his religion is personal to him, he would keep it private. In his home or in the dressing room. Not in front of a stadium packed with 30000 people especially in what Pakistani's like to call as 'dushman mulk' Pakistani cricketers have unnecessarily brought religion into sport for ages now. It's easy to point out the JSR slogans from a bunch of ignorant fans but spewing venom against Indians and Hindus is a normal routine in Pakistan.

[@Victor-y9g1w]

@@adminasylum1304 and the crowd also didn't enforce on anyone or belittle his religion

[@Myanmartiger921]

@@adminasylum1304sharia is not science

[@Xinnie_The_Flu]

​@@adminasylum1304did the crowd ask rizwan to put a tilak on? The crowd didn't enforce anything on anyone. So why are you all even complaining?

[@sougatdas9837]

I wish Shekhar Gupta had made one episode about Pakistani players doing namaz in the middle of a game. 😒

[@Anp562]

His head is precious to him😂

[@shashankranjan3273]

Shekar too is a hypocrite.

[@Sardar_Khan69]

But this episode is balanced he has justified the Jai shree ram by showing the Rizwan namaz angle too.

[@AdityaMishra_paul]

Why are you so offended man?? Are you expecting every foreigner to go to temple and chant "Jai Shree Ram"??

[@Sardar_Khan69]

@@AdityaMishra_paul he didn't say that... You seem more offended.... He just talked about Rizwan who brings relgion everytime..

[@rajaece2100]

In 20th century Nazzis said We are Nazzis..... In 21sr century Nassis says You are Nazzis.....

[@SV-wu2my]

When Inzamam played and Pakistan won in Chennai, entire crowd supported, as narrated by Inzy himself. In fact, in Ahmedabad crowd did cheer Babar Azam hitting 50. But Pakistan failed after 155 runs for 3. That is what cricket is about. Even in Lahore the crowd response against bad.

[@ravishankersunderam1241]

You arent getting the point. Chennai is also known as The Islamic Republic of Madrassah

[@studytime2570]

@@ravishankersunderam1241 say what

[@cixin10x]

That's before Modi-Shah

[@ChintzH-eo8gp]

​​@@ravishankersunderam1241 they love India more than you that wasn't terror Era. We centrist will vote bjp masterstroke hydrabadi crowd

[@7hills812]

Prior games where Pakistan was given visas liberally hurt India - not in the stadium - but on the terrorism front. Hundreds of those who got visas never returned and some were caught later as terrorists. ISI does not let any opportunity to go to waste. So, I think it’s sensible for India to be strict on visas to Pak!!

[@suvansh29]

Gideon Haigh seems salty India defeated Australia. A prime example of destroying your reputation with one statement.

[@karankapoor2701]

Majority of Aussie player's prolly hate him aswell

[@gopakumarcoratyl9376]

Gideon Haigh may be a good writer but one cannot call him a sportsman after the Nuremberg comment. A sportsman will consider both sides before making a comment.

[@sannagesh6376]

He is a prime example of hypocrisy.

[@shashamnk2525]

Gideon has been an ally of India, he has praised Indian cricket and the Indian team even when the rest of Australian media used to be brutal to our team, if he's concerned about something then maybe we should listen to him

[@shyambajekal8084]

He forgets the Naziest of behaviour of his own Australian crowds when they pass racist comments at Indian players. Remember Siraj's experience in 2020

[@maveRickduh-rk4io]

The crowd did it to support the sport, and the way they do it is totally their choice of expression.

[@globalnationalismyoutube]

Why disn't they do it for other teams? If they just did it to support the sport then they would've done it for all teams in the tournament.

[@literarymusings8886]

​@@globalnationalismyoutubewhy do all Pakistani players say " inshallah" more than any other word

[@humanist641]

​@@globalnationalismyoutubehow many times Pakistani audiance said Allah hu akabar , tried to use knife , used screw and played said Allah hu Akbar on ground , prayed namaz on ground If they are doing it's fair If we do it's Islamophobia

[@ordinarytraveler8651]

@@literarymusings8886as it stand in translation as the use of “but” 😉

[@wandhatt]

What a logic.. instead of cheering cricket.. they are cheering religion.. you know this is bullying.. grow up andhbhakts.. no one questioned ur hindutva.. in another video.. you do not let the fans to support their teams.. common men..show some human nd sports spirit.. this society as a whole is not moving in the right direction... Let alone the vishwaguru Bharat

[@anandmarathe1170]

The point was well communicated, SG. Where were Mr.Micky Mouse and our self-proclaimed secular gang hiding when Rizvan brought religion into the stadium? These guys don’t have the guts to question him or the other Pakistani players about it. This is a typical hypocrisy, which we have seen all along. When Pakistanis do it, it is all great and divine. When someone else does the same as a response - it is all communal. What nonsense is that? When will we stand up and recognise that hypocrisy is not secularism?

[@globalnationalismyoutube]

Rizwan did not shout at anyone.

[@sudarshanpoondi5651]

Even worse, it could be deemed a statement being made to the entire crowd

[@humanist641]

​@@globalnationalismyoutube he was showing ki me Muslim hun , that fake supremacy, why ex Pakistani cricketers are happy on his act Should our players start doing Pooja on ground

[@a141tho2]

Neither did any Indian players shout at rizwan. Your fans your former cricketers your ministers did bring religion into the mix and Indian fans responded back. Also if Allah hu Akbar or namaz is fine on cricket field why isn't Jai shree ram ?

[@bullseye9723]

where did rizwan show any religion?? he was just thanking god without disturbing anyone!! but RW hindus have problem with everyhting what muslims do!1 shouting ur gods name in rizwan face is right?? agree that india is increasingly becoming radical!! they only remember their religion and credibility when they see others practicing without disturbing anyone espically muslims

[@parvadhami980]

The hatred for Modi-Shah has lead to hatred against all Gujaratis. This too is a reason for the diarrhoea of "champions of FoE" against the Gujarat crowd.

[@sauron2000000]

They had it coming😂😂😂

[@varun2250]

@sauron Everyone had it coming since the 7th century according to Islamofascists

[@sauron2000000]

@@varun2250 Everyone had it coming since the Satya Yuga

[@mayankindian3750]

​@@sauron2000000 proof hai satya yug se hai we are Hindus so you have problem 😡😠😡

[@andrewbhavanasi5715]

Good One SG I was at Chinnaswamy stadium last night watching Australia thrash Pakistan ..sure crowd wanted Aussies to win but heck the crowd applauded Pakistani batsmen fielders and bowlers ...the crowd sang happy birthday for Mitchell but also wished Babbar a belated wishes . . cheered Shaheen Afridi to get the Hatrick and finally when he got 5 wkts he went down to do his prayers but cheers continued. ..one last comment the spectators are all in Blue jersey these days because they can afford them.... And bangaloreans didnt forget to scream RCB as well ! The silly jornos moaning about indian cricket spectators should grow up .

[@sb-bw4lp]

Nah we don't and don't tell me they chear pakistani players just go and watch there statements literally only terrorist can give such statements

[@HeavenRacer422]

No one cheered Pakistanis. Only for some leftist appeasing them is important. Majority of indian specially hindus hate them

[@saptarsi7868]

​@@sb-bw4lpas if you sit with terrorists everyday

[@RAMESH-js9lc]

@@sb-bw4lp Its ok ..... PCB chief said India is enemy country before the WC. You don‘t cheer for the enemy😅

[@prak_art_i]

Shekhar Gupta is so good at providing context and bringing nuance in everything. He is a prime example of the good old journalistic values!

[@manh9105]

Lol! He is snake, very vile and extremely corrupt. His time will when he meets his karma

[@ToastRusk]

​@@manh9105what triggered you son?

[@sahilstt8239]

Hindus Jai shree Ram comes mostly by seeing muslims This is their dedication towards their religion

[@HeavenRacer422]

​@@sahilstt82395000 years before mohammad's father was born hindus have been chanting jai shri ram. Correct your facts

[@sahilstt8239]

@@HeavenRacer422 lol The slogan become famous mostly by bjp/rss to unite Hindus for babri masjid Hindus were divided among their gods but they Unite by seeing muslims bcz of history and hatred propoganda by rss And same is for Pakistanis There is no difference btw extremist of muslims and Hindus only diff is muslims extremist are blind in their religion and Hindu extremist are blind in hatred towards muslims 🫡

[@pynchones]

As a Pakistani, I'd say this is very fair analysis. Pakistanis often forget their own history when it comes to stuff like that. As much as I agree that religion should be kept out of sports, there is no harm and letting players celebrate with a religious connotation, whether it is prostration, a Jai Shree Ram, or crossing oneself. However, saying garbage like what Waqar Younis said or using religious chants as a weapon to demoralize the other will always be wrong, whether it is a Hindu doing it or a Muslim.

[@ChandranPrema123]

The problem is when Muslims do it's fine according to liberals but if we do ohh😂

[@banditonehundred]

Well that’s the problem, India shouldn’t be regressing back to what Pakistan did long back. I don’t expect any better from the crowd though, given the jingoistic mentality of the BJP

[@ALC0A021]

@@banditonehundred jignoistiv mentality belongs to congress, liberals, woke bastards, islamic fundamentalists

[@hershpuri]

Its not the same!! --- waqar was provocative!! javed miandad, shahid afridi have said a lot of things over the years. fans just said "jai shree..." to rizwan... that is it!! i wouldn't chant that... but fans have the freedom...

[@chintakgurjar8426]

When there is huge crowd and nationalist sentiments at its pick, religious chanting, comments come its natural way. No one should hold back on such issues. PCB should have shown some sporting spirit.

[@shivprasadjoshi5280]

Why don't journalists like you mention Myshtaq Mohammad's reaction on winning the first series in Pak end of 70s? He said and I remember him saying " this is a great victory for Islam". Bigotry is synonymous with Porkistan.😡

[@AvatarSNS]

Expected SG to condemn Rizwan’s theatre on the field, that should be condemned more so than Fans! And wanted to hear his thoughts on Mathew Heydon comment, Islam and cricket team discipline.

[@Drkp23]

There is valid reason for not issuing Visas to Pakistani citizens… During India- Pakistan semifinal in 2011, 5000 visas were issued but a few hundred didn’t go back to Pakistan…

[@KausikGupta-lv7ho]

Dear pakistan🏴‍☠️🇵🇰, Stop excuses & learn how to play good cricket.

[@suvansh29]

“NAZI!”- A Pakistani Probably

[@alexisadrian7594]

Dear we know very well how to play Cricket. kindly check overall head to head record in odi test including everything. but if anything wrong from our side that is wrong if anything from yours that is also we know thats why babar and rizwan both finished single handedly in dubai, and champion trophy 2017 maybe you forget. and check overall record as well. thanks

[@suvansh29]

@@alexisadrian7594 8 and Nothing is the win record of India against Pakistan. We all enjoy the cricket matches between the two and respect the Pakistani Cricket. But remember 8 and Nothing.

[@KausikGupta-lv7ho]

@@alexisadrian7594 I am not saying pakistan can't play cricket. Pakistan need to learn how to play GOOD cricket without taking help of RAIN & ALLAH 🫵😁

[@sankalp6872]

The days of Leftist virtue signalling and guilt tripping are OVER. Only the demons from leftist gang led "Dalla journo" Rajdeep were criticizing the crowd. The rest were celebrating the Modi stadium crowd (which included people from all over India and not just Gujarat) as national heroes. Even Kohli's IPL home ground chanted "Jai Shree Ram" and celebrated Pak's defeat against Australia.

[@sankalp6872]

@@Extrovert_indian284 Did you even watch the video? Shekhar called out the hypocrisy of Leftists who were going after the Ahmedabad crowd.

[@Extrovert_indian284]

@@sankalp6872 absolutely bs ,only a minority of twitter right wingers were lauding crowds behaviour .Majority indians were calling out behaviour of Ahmedabad crowd . I am from chandigarh majority around me vociferously spoke against crowds behaviour

[@Pankajverma30_]

​@@Extrovert_indian284 khalistani detected opinion rejected

[@Extrovert_indian284]

@@Pankajverma30_ what kind of language is this? I am a proud Indian and I don't need certificates of nationalism from trolls

[@GAURAV-dm1gm]

​@@Extrovert_indian284 indian cricket teams used to face far more taunting even physical attacks ( according to Irfan Pathan) when they visited pakistan . Atleast indians fans didnt attack pakistan . And dont speak of moral high ground and expect us to keep digesting injustices. We dont want it.

[@CoolITTrends]

Had gone to the Australia vs Pakistan game. No prizes for guessing whom Indians were supporting. But rows below us were supporting Pakistan. Initially I thought they may be from Pakistan. Nah!! They were Indians. It was obvious to all of us why they were supporting Pakistan. Honestly, it was sad and scary. Was thrilled Australia won!!

[@BasEkKafir]

Have seen people supporting pakistan all of them were peacefulls

[@sauron2000000]

What was scary😂😂😂😂

[@chiranjibisahoo5408]

You should have asked their name🤣..Then it would be easy to guess

[@BotswanaThabo]

Everyone knows who brought religion to Cricket: Pakistan. Now when there is pushback they are crying foul . Sometimes tasting your own medicine can be painful

[@FreeBijlee]

(Thankfully) Hindus resort to 'Jai Shri Ram' ... as opposed to 'Sar Tan se Juda' ... as an expression of their frustration..... The real question is what if they actually become intolerant which, anyways they are accused of being???

[@gauravrawat813]

If Pakistan do namaz on Ground Then we also chant Jai Shree Ram

[@Email-mu1mv]

Every Namaz on the cricket field will be replied with Jai Sri Ram. This is a different India.

[@sridharseetharaman7611]

A few decades before PAKISTAN said India Pakistan cricket match is like war for Kashmir.The problem can never be solved.

[@KVT-BTI]

While Pakistani players use religious chants before every speech, if Indian anudience chanting Jai Shri Ram is bringing religion into the game ?

[@alokgupta4200]

What to expect! Gujarat makes India proud. well done!

[@sauron2000000]

True. India is Gujarat slave now😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@navneetoberoi3150]

No one other than Mr Shekhar Gupta could’ve put it more articulately. I have nothing but laurels for him and his journalism. Was In a dream to have seen him work Thank you always Sir

[@mayank007-xyz]

IMHO, the crowd behaved the way crowds generally behave. Problem lies in the way players bring religion into the pitch. Pakistan is champion in this department.

[@thirdperson4705]

There was nothing wrong in chanting Jai Shree Ram by crowd during cricket match. If a Pakistani cricketer can feel proud after offering Namaz in an Indian stadium in front of Indian crown then Indians can shout whatever they want in their own country. People should stop guilt tripping Indians with everything they do.

[@IITTPPEEDD]

They were screaming the chant on his face! Like this is disrespectful to the chant itself!

[@mavking4290]

​@@IITTPPEEDDkeep crying outloud.. no body cares..

[@vm3306]

​@@IITTPPEEDD namaaz on ground is against ICC rules. Breaking rules and then trying victim card

[@motohopper861]

Didn't Rizwan bring religion in cricket when he started doing Namaz in mid of the field...And for the record he has never done this in Pakistan

[@nmg1443]

India was foolishly generous in even letting a terrorist team in. It would be suicidal to let in any others. Ridiculous to think Pakistani "fans" should be given visas.

[@kamalsh6123]

There is good reason for India not touring Pakistan. Here Pakistan is at least just facing slogans like Jai Shri Ram. In Pakistan there is every possibility of the crowd turning violent against the Indian team and the team members may have to run for their lives if God forbid, India wins some match there.

[@sks-7890]

So many ifs

[@Hakunamatata67301]

Hahahaha

[@vm3306]

​@@sks-7890 not so. All jihadis are same.

[@timek6898]

Chanting Jai Shree Ram is offensive but, Pakistani fans have thrown nails and bolts at players when Indians went to play in Pakistan, as testified by Irfan Pathan ''We were playing a game in Peshawar, when a fan threw a nail at me, which struck me under my eye. I could have gotten seriously injured.''

[@jaimindesai8760]

I would like to point out to people that we have played Afghanistan and Bangladesh, this chants didn't happen. Infact Delhi crowd supported Afghanistan against England. This wasn't against any religion but a country who's ideology is severly infested with religious fundamentalism.

[@sadanandgote5544]

Succinctly stated

[@lk-bf2yp]

Bravo.well said.

[@PradeepKumar-vj2fw]

Was Rizwan right in doing Namaz in the ground during drink break? Was it right on Pak's team to dedicate a match they won for Palestine cause. A true sports person would play by not mixing religion , they seem to have come hell bent on creating problems. If the answer is yes for the above, then the crowd chanting is also valid.

[@tapemaj]

“Sour grapes 🍇” , always when that nation loses . In contrast , We are a mature nation 🇮🇳 and accept defeat gracefully .

[@mryoutube4399]

You guys literally burned an Indian stadium because you lost.Look it up.

[@tapemaj]

@@mryoutube4399 That was due to anger against India’s own team in Kolkata . We did not blame the other country for being defeated .

[@mryoutube4399]

@@tapemaj But it disproves your statement about being able to accept defeat gracefully.

[@tapemaj]

@@mryoutube4399 It’s our team and it’s our home crowd as against your country blaming India for their own defeat . My statement disproves nothing at all . Perhaps read it again. !!

[@adminasylum1304]

The statement by Mickey Arthur was honestly of no importance and very immature. Beside that the actions of the crowd chanting at Rizwan to one up him, just because he prayed in the ground shows a mindset that as a nation you’re insecure. Religion is personal, he follows a faith, let him. He didn’t enforce his faith onto anyone and or attacked any other faith.

[@vivekanandholla6730]

Thank you for the video. I guess Pakistani team have yo face the crowds back home and the excuses they are raising are to just shift the blame somewhat

[@aliakbar307]

Haha . Lolz, we don't expect the Pakistani team to win. If they win, it is a surprise. Loss is by default expected.

[@ThePrintIndia]

To reiterate, it was the coach who complained about the atmosphere in Ahmedabad, not the team. I do believe the Pakistani cricketers are consummate professionals and experienced at playing in tough conditions. Thank you for watching an writing in, Vivekanand...best wishes, Shekhar

[@ShivamSharma-rr6tr]

Rizwan offers Namaz on cricket field in india , he tweets about Gaza before coming to gujrat , he challenged Indian crowd , Rizwan deserved all kinds of hostility from the crowd . After ind vs pak World Cup t20 match where india lost to pak 152-0 Rizwan offered namaz and Waqar Younis said he is proud that he offered it in front of Hindus and that is his mindset , he offers namaz because to prove Islam superior than hinduism and this mindset needs to opposed .

[@vm3306]

So correct. But the so called secular, liberals will make that look nice. This is New India where payback is done.

[@gauravrawat813]

That day North People are celebrating Navratri That's why we chant Jai Shree Ram

[@PJ-xz9gl]

I am curious what would happen if the Indian cricketers start their interview with "Jai Shri Ram" just as any Pakistani or Afghani player starts with "Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim". End of the day, why would this even be an issue? I do not see a rift between any religious beliefs other the ones that are stirred thanks to the media and the politicians (and yes, I am being inclusive of all political parties here). I hope to see a day where religion takes a backseat and humanity takes a front seat in any and every discussion and action.

[@RAMESH-js9lc]

India faced taunts and discrimination in matches played in Sharjah. But never made a fuss about it. Secularists and Islamists must simply keep quite and understand their time is over.

[@vedalasrinivasan1490]

For any Pakistani cricket match, umpires should also carry a roll of toilet paper. We never know what Rizwan will do on the pitch next time...

[@RK-mz2sw]

Action has always reaction.its natural phenomena.indians have never been too harsh it was just a banter.chill guyz

[@aeybeec]

We gujarati are proud of being Hindu, We dont Care What other think

[@shivam.1984]

You Gujratis are Well known For Business bank fraud and loots In Army where are Gujju 😅😅😅 In Sports where are Gujju 😅😅😅 In Science where are Gujju 😅😅😅 In Film and creativity where is Gujju 😅😅 I known very well About thugs gujratis How they thugs and loots the people In African countries You gujju drink Blood of Black peoples I know Every things And you gujju well known for 2002 Roits After 2014 you Gujju loot India on the name of Religion.

[@HarshSingh003]

just one simple question why it only happened to rizwan and pakistan and not against bangladesh and afghanistan ??

[@kd24jh]

Gujarati while seem to be communal. But when it comes to business they don't think twice to work with their fellow Muslim Gujarati's. It's true they are not Nazis, infact they are quite opposite.

[@humanist641]

Why rizwan was allowed to read namaz on ground Condem that first Condem Pakistani ex cricketers are proud of that hinduo ke bich namaz padha

[@abhisen6745]

You cannot go on hating kafirs all the time even if it is written in a book. You have to do business with kafirs when money matters.

[@adminasylum1304]

Bhai namaz parhi hai koi tum logo pe hamla thori kiya . He is following his faith. You follow yours. Faith is personal

[@Findorfound]

⁠@@adminasylum1304that is exactly the point. Jai Shree Ram is also very apt thing to say, yhan bhi kisi pr hamla nhi hua. When you do it, it's fine and we do it - "omg, how dare you". This fanatic display of obscenity that islam does quite a lot, all the time including saying "there's only one true god and rest are false ones" , shows deep roted hatred and bigotry in the very origins of it. Stop spresding your hatred from your borrowed arabic identity.

[@adminasylum1304]

@@Findorfound Bhai jan jai shrii raam kehne ka issue hee nai. I am sure it’s said by individuals of that faith on a daily basis. It’s the fact, you chose those words and chanted at the opposition to ridicule him or mock him. That’s the issue. You can jai shrri ram all day you want in the stadium. But to specifically chant at a player of opposition, to ridicule/mock him. That’s the major difference. To one up him

[@reach2prasanna]

Indians are sick of Pakistan backstabbing us after every time we extend our hands for friendship. Indians have seen this pattern over and over again. Visit any Islamic country and you'll see they've made it clear that Muslims will rule and the rest can just survive within their law. Only in India we keep talking about how the majority Hindus should accommodate non-Hindus even if that means we ourselves have to suffer and be humiliated.

[@bestest1234567]

Uncleji,”Should religion be brought into sport? Let me give you my opinion. As a butthurt Pakistani sympathiser I’m against Modi and choose my words carefully to hide my anger and frustration.”

[@vm3306]

Say that when Indians were religiously mistreated as the minorities in Pakistan are.

[@amanlodha6260]

Shekhar's POV on this video is airtight! I couldnt agree more. Just to preface, I'm a hindutva-wadi. Would it have been better were the chants of "Jai Shri Ram" not sloganed? YES. But nobody can say it was uncalled for. And the overall point of was the crowd misbehaving or not: Not at all, we will support our team, who the hell are you (pak coach) to tell us otherwise?

[@laitmagnani1525]

Guess Mickey Arthur has never heard the footballing chants in EPL or other leagues and the treatment Indian players used to receive from hostile Aussie crowds. Had his team thought more about the reason for their batting collapse against India they wouldn't have repeated it against Australia.

[@sauron2000000]

He is a Brit😂😂😂😂

[@sauron2000000]

Guess you never heard what happened in Kolkata in 1980s😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@nsekar0122]

Let Gideon Haigh watch any match that might be played between Israel and Palestine(it's a different thing that it might not happen). Can he assure that there will be no religious comments/catcalls in that match? India vs Pakistan is not merely Sports rivalries between teams or nations. It's much beyond that. Pakistan is something like Hamas who keeps needling their neighbours. It's the Anglo arrogance of having a right to comment on us. He should be spammed/trolled for his Nazi comments/comparison.

[@giridharanvelamore2395]

Wonderful commentary, Sekhar Guptaji! Agree with you 100%

[@ThePrintIndia]

Thank you, Giridhar. I'm glad you enjoyed this episode. Thank you also for supporting our journalism...best wishes, Shekhar

[@reach2prasanna]

Visit any Islamic country and you'll find religion as part of every ember of what they do. From naming places to taking the name of Allah to greet someone. And they're unapologetic about it. Why do we Hindus have to feel sorry about chanting Jai Shree Ram that too in India?

[@rajindersingh3599]

It is high time that we stop comparing ourselves with Pakistan in all spheres. It only breeds animosity, ill will and may make us lower our standards (unfortunate as it may sound, till our brothers across the border get their act together). Our standard should now be the US, Western Europe and even China to be able to pitch ourselves at the next higher level ... And even move beyond that in due course

[@krisgopi_8]

Yes you are absolutely right .

[@yogendranathreddy6412]

Seems like you know nothing about us and Europe hostile crowd

[@indian9632]

It's a failed nation afterall. We should not back down when it comes to paying back though

[@sayantanghatak24]

What baffles me is that if the Pakistanis are so uncomfortable playing in India why don't they boycott the cricket world cup, they don't venture in ipl but it has not declined its popularity.And as per that Australian writer is concerned, he is probably unaware of the fact that their ancestors were criminals marooned to that land, the treatment they unleashed on the aboriginals is equally heinous like the Nazis. The Australian crowd is more aggressive and racist than the Subcontinent they hurled racial abuse last time when India visited Australia, perhaps that writer is unaware of that fact.

[@suniljoglekar954]

Great info of way the Pakistan crowd behaved when Indian cricket and hockey team toured Pakistan. An eye opener for all 👍🙏

[@alburj1]

Some 5000 Pakistanis went missing after they were given visas for watching a match. Figure that out.

[@sensiblehandle]

This has escalated due to the inaction of ICC on many instances of Pakistani players trying to propagate their religion on the field. How this issue has no end , might be it could he a starting of a trend of chanting Jai Shree Ram in the Stadiums to intimidate the Pakistani players.

[@paddysubramaniam1481]

Pakistani coach trying to take the micky out of the emotionally charged pakistani fans...simply deflecting his and the team's incompetence to put on a show. Remember this coach has been criticized in pakistan for his "zoom" based coaching and interaction with pakistani team. That says it all !!!!!

[@sanjaykatiyar5279]

Hindu wake up and be proud hindu .jai shree Ram

[@HANAMANTKULKARNI-o9w]

National Interest on WC religion by SG. Written, rewritten, rehearsed, re-reherarsed just to be sure it sounds good and doesn't hurt. Please do send it to your dear friend Rajdeep Sardesai for enlightenment. More than cricketing ability it is the mutual hatred of the people that creates these controversies. To avoid repetition, it is the other Pakistanis to change attitude and confine to cricket. I am sure, this time Rizwan is responsible to elicit this hostile crowd attitude in Ahmedabad preplanned after watching Rizwan in Hyderabad grounds.

[@vm3306]

Well said

[@teja787]

Our crowds were just being polite by giving back what pakistani players started. Udhaar nahi ranke kaaa...

[@sauron2000000]

Ahmedabad crowd is not my crowd. Period.

[@teja787]

@@sauron2000000 But but that crowd is most of India. So can't help it...

[@sauron2000000]

@@teja787 Ahmedabad is not most of India.

[@teja787]

@sauron2000000 Yes u r right but aleast 78% or 1.20 billion ... so we give back what others give us

[@sauron2000000]

@@teja787 I am talking about population of Ahmedabad and population of India.

[@gauravtyagiexperience76]

Just remember one thing guys Religion is bad in sports is only came out When Indians started to chant "Jai Shree Ram" Otherwise it was fine by everyone.

[@nixnag]

Ur probably the only neutral journalist I have watched in this crazy world of left vs right media! Thanks for ur videos...can't start my day without watching them

[@ykps1978]

Really? He didn't say a word on offering namaz on the ground or saying religious chants during interviews. Shekhar is a convenient liberal

[@shyambajekal8084]

Why, during the recent Asian Games, the Chinese crowd at the badminton venue was screaming deafeningly it seems, especially when our Indian players were playing. It was widely reported how Lakshya Sen managed to overcome that to win his match. And, when the Pakistani players can 'offer' namaz immediately after the game on the pitch itself and at interviews as well when they start off with their religious chant and then keep repeating inshallah, what's wrong with our crowd chanting Jai Shri Ram. Nazis indeed!!! What gall does that journalist have to say this. And Australian crowds are famous for racist comments, he forgets. That the Naziest of all chants I would say. Remember Siraj's experience in 2020!

[@kickassguy704]

I have had the privilege to watch Liverpool matches at Anfield (their home ground). That crowd’s hostility is nowhere compared to what we see in cricket. The synchronised demeaning chants, taunts, abuse are all meant to intimidate the opponent. The Indian crowd is nowhere compared to what we see in cricket. Moreover why do we blame the Ahmedabad folks for bringing religion into cricket. Is it not the Pakistan team who always offers namaz on the ground. A place which should be reserved to display your talent and not your religion. The sword of secularism is double edged. If we criticise the fans, we ought to criticise the players as well for their display of religion.

[@adminasylum1304]

Dude saying a prayer during a break in an innings. How is that a display of religion? Did he hold a khutba in the middle of the match? Did he attack any other faith. He just said his prayer. He is just following his faith. He didn’t make it about enforcing his faith or attacking any other faith. Grow out of this insecure mindset

[@kickassguy704]

@@adminasylum1304 It's the lack of principled understanding on your part. A concept faster than you to catch up to. The way you viciously defended the act of offering namaz on a sports arena by using flimsy logic shows that you’re religiously dogmatic. I don’t think you have the mental capacity to understand secular principles but let me give it a shot. Any sports arena is a place to display your talent and not your religion. It's not about taunting. If the Hindus start performing bhoomi Pooja before every match, will the people be comfortable ? I guess not. Moreover religion is a private matter and not a tool to display in public. If they want, they can offer the namaz in dressing room. But they wouldn't do it. You have the audacity to tell the crowd to not chant “Jai Shree Ram”, but at the same time you won't tell the players to offer namaz in the dressing room. So either you're Hinduphobic or a Hypocrite or maybe too vanilla by way of mental faculty to grasp a fundamental concept. If you state that offering namaz is not taunting, then how is chanting JSR taunting ???. The Indian players didn't do it. The crowd did. It can be the crowd's way to boost their moral. It's upto them if they want to chant it out loud. You have no moral ground to tell the crowd what to do. The moment you qualified offering namaz on the field as acceptable, by way of secular principle, chanting JSR also becomes qualified. Moreover the hypocrisy of the matter is the skewness in which the two matters are perceived. How is chanting JSR out loud taunting ?? Now, if it is an abuse, slur or a personal attack, then it can be qualified as inappropriate. But it is not. If people get uncomfortable with it, then it shows deep rooted phobia which they have towards JSR. Which in principle is bigotry or Hinduphobia. As one can openly practice Hinduphobia by raising red flags on a religious chant and it is deemed acceptable. But at the same time, an act of offering prayer irrespective of the manner, is deemed appropriate.

[@pratiush1000]

It was not "new Narendra Modi Stadium", the name was changed from Sardar Patel stadium The stadium is not a newly constructed one. So, it's an error from your side ThePrint.

[@Mjjjyyy]

Please talk about the fact that BCCI is the most unaccountable organisation we have in our country.

[@sathyanarayanan9997]

At the end of the day, for millions of Indians, a match against Pakistan is WAR - period! Jai Shri Ram and Bajrang Bali are war cries. But to be hones the Indian crowd was very well behaved and never changed any anti-Pak slogans!

[@unbridledreverie]

Extremely thoughtfully nuanced especially calling in the aspects of football.

[@ThePrintIndia]

Thank you, my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed this episode. Do keep watching and writing in...best wishes, Shekhar

[@hetaldesai5207]

Imagine a person shouting allahu akbar, And whole stadium had to be emptied. 😅😅😅

[@rickpp2691]

Sir with all due respect, if religion has no place in a sport, this should apply to the players as well. Rizwan didn’t need to offer namaz. Indian players dont bring out aarti after scoring a ton. They just look to the heavens and thank the lord.

[@vikingrulzz]

I do not agree with Shekhar Gupta's assessment of the matter at all. There are Indian supporters wherever you travel in the world. They are vociferous and passionate in their support. The least our government could have done is allow Pakistani fans applying for visas to visit India and support their team. What happened to our claim of vasudhaiva kutumbakam? The world is one family? But Pakistan is not? The hypocrisy of our universal claims is not lost on anyone! Cricket is not only a game, it's a gentleman's sport. The least we could do is behave like gentlemen in our response. The question everyone should be asking is, did the attitude of the MoFA and the government improve our stature in the cricketing world? We have the best Eleven in the world, and so, borrowing a cricketing phrase, did we have to be so much on the back foot in the first place?

[@jaykumar_khot]

Expecting sports will be normal or normalize relation between 🇮🇳 and 🇵🇰 is like putting make up on the face of a cancer patient and saying they look much brighter and don't need painful chemotherapy.

[@sridharseetharaman7611]

After losing 2011 match against India, the Pakistani Captain apologised to Allah & Muslim Ummah.. there was no reason to say so. But then people do not forget..

[@HRC294]

Guptaji is the best person in journalism and media right now!

[@ashokmathur137]

Frankly if these foreign writers and coaches don’t like Indian crowds in India ? Fine, don’t come here , who’s bothered about your silly views.

[@Whole-Soul]

Why would Mr. Shekhar choose to ignore the most important instigator that triggered the Indian crowd? Do you really expect Rizwan to do what he did on the field in front of a crowd of more than 1 lakh and not expect a response?

[@kallachi729]

Yes we are cricket crazy partisans…. Disclaimer: I am not a religious bigot, but I say my prayer every day privately in my own way and do not wear my GOD on my sleeve. 1. When the sign of the cross is made by players on the field, there is nothing religious about it. 2. When prayers (kissing the ground etc..) are offered in a particular way on the cricket field, there is nothing religious about it. 3. When before an interview (after the match etc.) when some players invoke a religious prayer (Bis… ), there is nothing religious about it. But when a sizable section of a crown chants the name of a particular deity, the heavens (or hell) or the sky some down as everything about it religious…. Let us get real….. and not cry wolf. Tailpiece: The media should start ignoring such shenanigans. Disclaimer: I am not a religious begot, but I say my prayer every day privately in my own way and do not wear my GOD on my sleeve.

[@ashoklalwani2512]

Thank you shekhar sir for bringing up this point

[@irfanfazli407]

Very well put together. I am great admirer of you and I watch your programs religiously. I have commented before and mentioned my profile. I was born in India, brought up in Pakistan and living in USA since. All my friends are from India and as courtesy of my Indian friends I have been to India five times. I have been given such warm and love that India has become as close to my heart as USA. I look at things impartially and therefore what you say as a journalist, it always makes sense.

[@zamboon]

I am surprised that you think so highly of Gideon Haigh. He is one of the most biased one eyed sports reporter in Australia. If anything he goes out of his way to be critical of every other team playing Australia and when Australia lose, it is the pitch, the other team cheating, BCCI doctoring pitches etc.

[@vivekmishra7526]

Well covered sir Good of you to have brought up this topic 🙏🙏

[@david59417]

Tatti tatti tatti

[@shashankranjan3273]

Rizwan Namaz had no intention of insulting anybody but the Jai Sri Ram chant meant to insult a man from an adversary country.

[@shubhamsaroj3411]

That's why I like Shekhar Gupta sir's crisp clear cut analysis 😊😊

[@vishalnetha]

Now that's what I call a crisp editorial.

[@david59417]

Now thats what I call kutte ki tatti

[@bharatavarsha17000]

Proper counter. When did nationalism against a hostile neighbour because Nazism!?

[@sadanandgote5544]

In Pakistan, Sri Lankan were peacefully treated.. Some nasty people however say that they were attacked brutally... The Pakistani coach Woomer died peacefully in 2007. Some nasty people allege he was murdered.

[@exposedman7753]

Religion isnt the issue... Indians have good attitude towards afghans. If you want respect give respect thats a simple funda.

[@sakshamrai1803]

Super disappointed in you Shekhar, this excuse of Pakistani being communal should stop us from criticising Indians from being communal is really bad what aboutery. India is not a theocratic republic, it is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic.

[@TR-lb4om]

When you say India is secular, that means the state has to be secular. The people are not bound by it.

[@Btownfela]

Being socialist is nothing to be proud about

[@RohitGupta-uw7dz]

That's for the government not people 😂

[@mental9453]

I am ashamed of you Saksham Rai. You are showing your stupidity in the guise of intellectual

[@temp1851]

Doesnt chanting "jai shree ram" (it was merely to mock rizwan because of his islamist mindset) come under freedom of religion enshrined in our constitution?

[@RaoManoj2004]

I never understood why south asian muslims prefer namaz infront of others than making it a private affair. I do not see muslims of other country doing it.

[@blackdoesntmeanbad6058]

Read and observe history...also..see the mosques adjacent to temple..its type of statement...we r here...submit now

[@amitanand2532]

Who started praying in the field Which player wants Gajwa a Waqar rotten mind set Which Pak Home minister said Islam ki Jeet after defeating India

[@raviprakashbajpai196]

Hindus needs to leave this apologetic mindset. We don't need to say sorry to some muslim country beacuse our crowd say Jai Shree Ram. We should feel proud of it. Hindus never try to convert minorities to hinduism unlike Muslims and Christians.

[@apsarathi1]

What do you expect.we have seen only terrorists from Pakistan throgout mid 80 to 2014…

[@moulics]

it is absolutely stupid for pak to give a complaint about crowd to ICC and blame BCCI for it. These are occupational hazards at best and if you watch the world cup soccer matches or the Euro cup then you can see what it means. Pak must grow up and shed their anti india mentality. There is no point in complaining about every single incident you can think of they will be isolated by their own behaviour

[@grahajitneogy5876]

What if they sent terrorists for spectators ? It's better to keep them away