What’s the story?
The war of words between Rashid Latif and Virender Sehwag took a different turn as the former Pakistan captain heaped praise on the Indian batting icon’s career. Backing the Indian team to reach the final of the Champions Trophy, the 48-year old also labelled Virat Kohli as the best batsman in the world.
Rashid said, “I wanted to warn Sehwag a lesson after his comments on Pakistan. We should respect each other. Sehwag was a great player who scored two triple centuries. But he must understand he should not disrespect a country. I am not talking only about Pakistan but he should not disrespect teams like Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.”
He added, “I would like to congratulate India. They have a good chance of making it into the finals. Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world. (Anil) Kumble has played against me. He is a very honest person.
“Also, the others who have played against me or I have heard about them are Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Ajay Jadeja, (Mohammad) Azharuddin, (Javagal) Srinath, (Krishnamachari) Srikkanth. I would like to congratulate them all.”
The Background
It all started when Sehwag sent out a humorous tweet referring to Bangladesh as ‘grandson’ and Pakistan as ‘son’. Taking offence to the comparisons, Latif lashed out at the 38-year old for his remark before going on a tangential rant pertaining to the history of the Indian subcontinent.
The heart of the matter
Latif had earlier claimed that India would return home after losing to South Africa in the virtual knockout game at The Oval. In what was a sharp contrast to his prediction, the ‘Men in Blue’ decimated the Proteas by 8 wickets and booked a place in the semi-finals.
With his assessment going wrong, the erstwhile wicket-keeper batsman changed his tune and congratulated the Indian team for their performance.
Surprisingly, Sehwag chose to respond to Latif’s rant in a subtle manner. He sent out a tweet pointing to the power of meaningful silence over meaningless words. However, discarded Indian batsman Manoj Tiwary jumped into the spat and slammed the Pakistani veteran for his ‘shameful act‘.
What’s next?
India take on Bangladesh in the second semi-final at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Thursday. With a place in the final at stake, a packed crowd is expected to greet both teams at the venue.
Author’s Take
Admittedly, Sehwag’s tweet on India’s neighbouring countries was morally wrong. But Latif’s initial response was even more disconcerting. Hopefully, the issue is now resolved after the gloveman’s reversal.
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