'Cricket bahut chhoti cheez hai desh aur jawaano ke aage': Harbhajan Singh on India vs Pakistan in Asia Cup
NEW DELHI: Following the
Pahalgam terror attack
and
Operation Sindoor
, there has been a growing demand for India to boycott Pakistan across all fronts, including cricket. The sentiment gained momentum during the World Championship of Legends (WCL), when the India Champions refused to face the Pakistan Champions in both the group stage and the semifinals.
The Indian squad, comprising stalwarts like Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh,
Harbhajan Singh
, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Yusuf Pathan, stood firm in their decision.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has taken over 700 international wickets, made his stance clear, stating that
'cricket is too small a thing in front of the nation.'
India's refusal to play Pakistan came in response to the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed numerous innocent lives.
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Harbhajan believes the current Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, should take a similar stand in the upcoming
Asia Cup
and decline to face their arch-rivals.
"Jo dono deshon mein tensions hain, takraar hain, jab tak wo theek nahi hoti, hume cricket nahi khelni chahiye. This is my opinion. Ye bahut chhoti aur maamuli baat hai. Cricket bahut chhoti cheez hai desh ke aage [As long as the tensions and disputes between the two countries remain unresolved, we should not play cricket. This is my opinion. Cricket is a very small thing compared to the nation]," Harbhajan told TimesofIndia.com in an interview.
"For me, humare desh ka wo jawan jo sarhad par khada hua hai, unki families jo kai baar unko nahi dekh paati hain, unki shahadat ho jaati hai, wo ghar wapas nahi laut paate hain — unki itni badi sacrifice hoti hai hum sabke liye. Toh ye to bahut chhoti si baat hai (on boycotting Pakistan matches) ki hum ek cricket match na chhod sakein? Ye bahut chhoti si baat hai [For me, the soldier who stands on the border, whose family often doesn't get to see him, who sometimes sacrifices his life and never returns home — their sacrifice is so immense for all of us.
Compared to that, (on boycotting Pakistan matches) this is a very small thing — that we can't even skip playing one cricket match. It's a very small matter]," Harbhajan said.
"Humari government ka bhi ek naara hai ki 'Khoon aur paani ek saath nahi beh sakte.' Ye baat bilkul theek hai. Ye to ho nahi sakta ki sarhad par ladai ho, tanaav ho aur hum cricket khelne chale jaayein. Jab tak ye badi cheezein settle nahi hoti hain, cricket bahut chhoti si cheez hai.
Nation always comes first [Our government also has a slogan: 'Khoon aur paani ek saath nahi beh sakte.' This is absolutely correct. It cannot be that there's fighting on the border, tensions between the two nations, and we go to play cricket.
Until these big issues are resolved, cricket is a very small matter. The nation always comes first]," Harbhajan said.
EXCLUSIVE: India to boycott Pakistan in Asia Cup? Harbhajan Singh says, 'Khoon aur paani ek saath nahi beh sakte'
"Jo bhi hamara wajood hai wo iss desh ki wajah se hai, aur chahe wo khiladi ho, abhineta ho ya koi bhi ho, desh se bada koi nahi hota hai.
Desh jo hai wo sabse aage hai, aur desh ke prati jo hamare farz bante hain, wo hume nibhane chahiye. Cricket match na khelna bahut maamuli si cheez hai desh ke saamne [Whatever our identity is, it's because of this country. Whether you are a player, an actor, or anyone else — no one is bigger than the nation.
The country comes first, and the duties we owe to it must be fulfilled. Not playing a cricket match is nothing compared to the importance of the nation]," the former spinner said.
"Humare sarhad pe bhai khade hue hain, jo hume protect kar rahe hain, humare desh ko protect kar rahe hain — unke hausle dekho, wo kitna bada dil leke waha pe khade hue hain. Aur unke parivaar par kya beetati hai jab wo ghar wapas nahi aate. Aur hum cricket khelne chale jaate hain [At the border, our brothers are standing, protecting us and our country. Look at their courage, the big hearts with which they serve. Think about what their families go through when they don't return home.
And here we are, playing cricket]," he said.
"Hum unko itni importance kyun dete hain? Are they that important? Are they that important ki har news channel unko chalaye? When you have boycotted them, when you don't want to talk to them, then why show them here? This is the duty of the media — to stop this. They shouldn't be adding fuel to the fire. As I said, cricketers shouldn't be shaking hands with the Pakistan players, but the media shouldn't be showing them and their reactions on television either.
They are sitting in their country and can say whatever they want, but we shouldn't be highlighting them. Aisa bhi koi bayaan nahi hai jiska koi sir aur pair ho, aur agar koi ulta bayaan deta hai to usko phir jawaab denge," he said.
India are defending champions. They defeated Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the last edition of Asia Cup to clinch their eighth title — the most by any country in the competition.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is likely to select the squad for the Asia Cup soon.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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