Pak cricketers’ festive welcome at Ahmedabad hotel draws flak from social media
The Babar Azam-led Pakistan team got a grand welcome by the hotel staff and dancers in Ahmedabad
Updated: Oct 13th, 2023
As just a day left for the all-time fierce cricketing clash between India and Pakistan in the ICC World Cup 2023 on Oct 14, netizens engaged in a moral wrangle. #BoycottIndoPakMatch was trending on X after the ‘Men in Green’ received a grand welcome in Ahmedabad on Oct 12.
The Babar Azam-led Pakistan team was greeted with flowers and traditional dances, a grand welcome by the hotel staff and dancers in Ahmedabad.
Calling the ‘welcome’ out
Many Indians, especially on social media, were irked by this incident and felt it was a big insult to the Indian Army, who are all fighting at the border for the citizens of the country against the same Pakistan.
A netizen wrote on social media, “Had such a welcome been given to the Pakistan team in states like West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan, or Bihar, the centre would have dubbed it deshdrohi (traitor). This is the hypocrisy of the ruling government.”
Netizens continued to criticise BCCI and the Indian government for the incident, and #BoycottIndoPakMatch was trending on social media platform X on Oct 12.
Reactions on social media
A clip of Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) was also circulating on social media, where he said, "Who has the enmity against Pakistan? Not Bollywood, not cricketers, but only Indian soldiers."
Another retired officer from the force, Major Pawan Kumar, Shaurya Chakra (Retd), took to X, saying, “Pakistani kill our soldiers, and we welcome them with all arms and legs open.”
Despite all, the fans are ready
The match is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Oct 14, and a pre-match ceremony will be staged featuring India’s top singers, Arijit Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, and Sukhwinder Singh.
However, cricket enthusiasts in Ahmedabad are excited for the biggest clash. A cricket aficionado, Manish, from Ahmedabad, said, “Cricket should be played between both countries. Everyone should watch the India vs Pakistan cricket 1999 tour documentary, and then they will know why it is important. The Indo-Pak clash means everything to me. I was a kid when I understood the magnitude of this match. My obsession with cricket comes from that Tendulkar innings against Pakistan in World Cup 2003.”
“If you are drawing parallels between wars, terrorism, and sports, it is not fair. During World War I, the soldiers played a football game during a truce. Cricket is the least of the worries for both India and Pakistan.”
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