Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has once again grabbed headlines with his outrageous claim, stating that Indian cricketers such as Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh are forced to speak against him.
Earlier this month, Afridi had made controversial comments against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
See Also: Gambhir slams Afridi for disrespecting Indian PM Modi and Wing Commander Abhinandan
As expected, Afridi’s remarks met with severe backlash in India from all quarters. In fact, Harbhajan and Yuvraj, who extended help to Shahid Afridi Foundation in its fight COVID-19 last month, also hit back at the former Pakistan all-rounder.
"I'll remain thankful towards Harbhajan & Yuvraj for supporting my foundation. The real problem is that this is their compulsion. They live in that country. 'Wo majboor hain.' They know that people are being oppressed in their country. I won't say anything further," Afridi said on Pakistan channel Hum News.
Both Harbhajan and Yuvraj had earlier faced the wrath of Indians for supporting Afridi's foundation with a video message. But Afridi’s ill comments against their country and PM Modi left the India duo with regret about their noble gesture in aid of the Coronavirus victims in Pakistan.
"This is very upsetting what Shahid Afridi has come up with, talking ill about our country and our Prime Minister. This is just not acceptable," Harbhajan told Sports Tak.
"To be honest, he (Afridi) asked us to make an appeal for his charity. In good faith, we did it for humanity and for the people suffering due to the coronavirus. But this man is talking ill about our country. All I have to say is we have nothing to do with Shahid Afridi. He has no right to speak ill against our country and he should stay in his country and limits."
Yuvraj tweeted: "Really disappointed by @SAfridiOfficial's comments on our Hon'b PM @narendramodi ji. As a responsible Indian who has played for the country, I will never accept such words. I made an appeal on your behest for the sake of humanity. But never again."
Apart from Harbhajan and Yuvraj, other Indian players such as Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir had also slammed Shahid Afridi on social media.