India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the 12th match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday and maintained their astonishing form.
However, despite a match filled with so many feats to talk about, it was the treatment of Mohammad Rizwan by the Indian crowd that went viral all over social media.
The wicketkeeper batter lost his wicket to a beautiful off-cutter by Jasprit Bumrah after scoring 49 runs, as the 31-year-old was returning to the pavilion, an unfortunate incident happened that angered not just Pakistanis, but also some Indians.
Rizwan, who is not just known for his excellent cricketing skills but also for his strong belief in his religion, was greeted with religious chants by the fans in the Ahmedabad stadium, which was not welcomed by fans on social media.
Fans from both sides believe that religion should be kept separate from sports and chanting like that on an international player would only bring shame to the country.
Here is how fans reacted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It is worth mentioning that the outrage of the Indians came after Rizwan dedicated Pakistan’s record-chasing win against Sri Lanka to the Muslims of Palestine.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma powered his side to a crucial win that saw them going all the way to the top of the ICC World Cup points table with a staggering 1.82 run rate.
The Hitman, who scored 140 against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup, showcased his batting skills once again and top-scored for the winning side with 86 off 63 balls. His rapid knock included 12 boundaries.
The dominant batting display by the Indian batters saw the home side reach the 192-run target in the 31st over, with 118 balls to spare, massively improving their net run rate (NRR).
This was India’s record eighth win in as many matches against the arch-rivals in World Cup history.
Batting first, the Green Shirts were restricted to 191 in 42.5 overs courtesy of a collapse that saw them lose eight wickets for just 36 runs in 12.5 overs.
- Mohammad Rizwan