Wasim Akram, Gautam Gambhir blast India and Pakistan fans for celebrating each other’s defeats

The 2023 Cricket World Cup was one of the rare occasions where India clashed against Pakistan. Both sides locked horns in Ahmedabad where India dominated their neighbours. Pakistan’s campaign ended disappointingly in the league stage, while India dominated the tournament and faced their only defeat in the final against Australia. Observing the trend on social media where fans from both sides were celebrating each other’s failures, former cricketers Wasim Akram and Gautam Gambhir urged people to refrain from engaging in such behaviour, even in the online realm. Expressing his thoughts, Akram stated, “Seeing the way India and Pakistan celebrate each other’s losses, I can only think of the phrase, ‘Begaani shaadi mein abdulla deewana.’” Akram did not name any specific person but said that anyone can pursue patriotism for one’s own country without resorting to negativity. Akram urged people to be kind to each other, especially during challenging times, emphasizing that, in the end, it’s just a game. Gautam Gambhir too nodded in agreement and said that was odd to witness Indians reveling in Pakistan’s losses and vice versa. He urged fans to focus on celebrating their own team’s victories rather than finding joy in another team’s defeats. Gambhir came down hard on the negative attitude of celebrating the misfortunes of the opposing team, emphasising the need for a more positive approach in sports. He encouraged people to find happiness in their team’s successes rather than deriving pleasure from the sorrows of others. “India and Pakistan will face each other in the T20 World Cup after a few months. You never know; they might square off in the final as well. But it shouldn’t be the case that people in India are overjoyed if Pakistan lose against a team, or Pakistani fans celebrate if India lose any of their games. Both the team have their own challenges to deal with,” Gambhir went on to add. The 2024 T20 World Cup is expected to start on June 4, immediately after the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This scheduling may potentially impact the start of England’s home summer as well. The tournament will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America and will see the participation of 20 teams.