By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistani cricket captain Shahid Afridi went on the backfoot Tuesday, saying his comments on Indians not being as large hearted as their neighbours were misquoted by sections of the media.
“First of all, I want to congratulate the Indian team and the people for winning the World Cup. I have been playing cricket for a while. It is a shame that media has hyped up the issue. I have never discriminated between a Hindu or a Muslim. It is all equal in our religion. My comments were misquoted by the media,” Afridi said.
The skipper sparked a controversy saying “Indians are not as large hearted as Pakistanis or Muslims and it is very difficult to improve the relations between the two countries”.
After a furore, Afridi sought to play down the issue.
“What I really meant was when the Indian team came to Pakistan last time, the people here showed a big heart. So the same way it should happen in India whenever we go there. That is all I meant. It is important to have good relations with our neighbours,” he said.
Afridi went on to add that playing in India is something he has enjoyed the most in his career.
“Whenever we go to India, we participate in the charity programmes. I have a played a lot in India. We get a lot of love there. The cricketers there are valued even more than Pakistan. Playing in India is something I have enjoyed the most in my 14-year-old career,” he said.
The dashing all-rounder, however, slammed the media on both sides of the border.
“The media was disappointing when I came to Mohali. The media should talk about peace. We can’t have much expectations from the politicians. People to people contact can only improve the relations.
“I will listen to the interview again. Suddenly I am asked this question. I am not scared of anyone. I like India, its people, I want to play there and I don’t want to hype the issue.”
Afridi’s comments were criticised by several former Pakistani players including ex-captain Aamer Sohail.
“I think Afridi should have not made such comments. It was immature of him to say that and especially the timing of it. You have got to respect every individual,” said Sohail referring to the meeting of the two Prime Ministers on the sidelines of the World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan.