Udhayanidhi slams ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans during India-Pak match

A section of the spectators reportedly indulged in the sloganeering as Pakistani wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan walked to the dugout during the game which India won handsomely on Saturday.

Many others too said the sloganeering was against the spirit of cricket and amounted to harassing the cricketer.

Rizwan has offered namaz on the field and expressed solidarity with the Palestinians in war-hit Gaza in an earlier match. Critics accused him of dragging religion into sports.

Stalin, a minister in Tamil Nadu, said on X that India was known for its sportsmanship and hospitality and the treatment of the Pakistani player was a "new low".

"The treatment meted out to Pakistan players at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is unacceptable and a new low. Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool to spread hatred is condemnable," Stalin posted.

Trinamool’s Saket Gokhale too denounced the 'heckling' of the Pakistani cricketer.

"PM Modi desperately wants India to host the 2036 Olympics. But if this is what BJP has reduced our audiences to - where they heckle a Pakistani player with chants of Jai Shri Ram - massive doubts remain over whether we're qualified and sporting enough to host any international sporting event," Gokhale wrote on X.

BJP's reaction

BJP in response lashed out at the DMK leader while justifying the sloganeering.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia posted on X: “This hateful dengue, malaria mosquito is out to spread poison again. You don't have a problem when a match is paused for namaz on the field. Our Lord Ram resides in every corner of the universe, so say Jai Shri Ram."

India won the World Cup match in Ahmedabad against Pakistan by seven wickets.