Shahid Afridi hits back at Modi for mixing politics with cricket

Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing politics into sport following India’s victory in the Asia Cup.

After India’s win, Modi congratulated the team on social media but also made political remarks, repeating his claims about the success of “Operation Sindoor.”

Responding on X, Afridi recalled the downing of Indian aircraft by the Pakistan Air Force and said, “This is the real difference. We have always played with pure sportsmanship and kept war away from sports. But when it came to war, the scoreboard read 0-7.”

The comments came amid criticism of Modi at home as well. India’s opposition Congress party condemned his remarks, accusing him of politicising sport.

Here’s the real difference . We have always played with pure sportsmanship, keeping war out of the game. But the world saw it when war hit the scoreboard read 7-0 . #Big_office_small_man https://t.co/LGxCf8Tz8R

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 29, 2025

Congress leader Atul Patel said it was “unacceptable” to equate a cricket match with military operations.

“Does Modi even understand foreign policy and diplomacy?” he asked. Patel added that cricket should be played in the spirit of the game, not turned into war propaganda.