 "Mohammad Yousuf defended himself after pig remarks against Suryakumar Yadav by attacking Irfan Pathan. Images: Reuters/PTI")
Pakistan batting great Mohammad Yousuf has refused to apologise after calling India captain Suryakumar Yadav a suar (pig) multiple times during a news show in Pakistan in the wake of the handshake controversy at the Asia Cup 2025. The Pakistan cricket fraternity has been rattled by India’s symbolic protest in the Asia Cup match that took place last Sunday in Dubai.
With the match taking place just a few days after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Indian players decided to express solidarity with the victims by refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts. Refusing handshakes to register a protest has been a common practice in sporting events . Ukrainian players have done this quite often over the last few years against Russian tennis stars as a protest against the war Russia has waged against their country.
However, the international embarrassment has become a difficult thing for Pakistan to digest as their former cricketers have been busy giving rabid comments, including Shahid Afridi, who accused the Indian team of lacking sportsmanship .
Yousuf crossed all limits as he referred to Suryakumar as Suarkumar, calling him big on national TV. “India are unable to get out of their filmy world. India should be ashamed of the way they are trying to win, using umpires, torturing [Pakistan] through the match referee. It is a high note,” Yousuf said on Samaa TV.
Yousuf refuses to apologise for ‘Suarkumar’ comments
He then went on to call India captain Suryakumar as Suarkumar despite the anchor pointing out the correct name multiple times.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsYousuf, who scored 17250 international runs, was heavily criticised by Indian and Pakistani fans, who accused him of “shameful behaviour,” but this hasn’t deterred the former batter, who defended himself in a social media post, claiming that his comments were only a reply to Irfan Pathan calling Afridi a dog .
“I didn’t mean any disrespect to any sportsman who plays for his country with passion and grace, but why were the Indian media and people praising Irfan Pathan when he said that Shahid Khan Afridi was barking like a dog? Shouldn’t that have been rejected by everyone who talks about dignity and respect?”
In a recent interview, former India all-rounder Pathan shared how he had a problem with Afridi during India vs Pakistan matches, as the latter would always go around looking for trouble. He revealed that he once joked that Afridi must have eaten dog meat as he kept “barking” like a dog.
Things could get more serious when India take on Pakistan again in the Asia Cup 2025 next Sunday. However, for that, Pakistan will have to beat the UAE on Wednesday. While there was news that Pakistan may boycott the Asia Cup, it seems like they have agreed on a compromise.