Azhar Ali's message to the Indian team

Pakistan’s splendid show in England still hasn’t sunk in and they rightly deserve to celebrate for few more days. Such was the class they displayed throughout the tournament, after beginning it on a diabolical note, losing to India by a huge margin. This was their first ICC trophy since 2009 and as you’d expect in a cricket frenzy nation like Pakistan, everyone was on cloud 9.

Though the fans of India and Pakistan took a dig at each other on social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, the players of both these sides shared few jovial moments after the final was done. This embodied the fact that there’s no hatred between the players of these countries by any stretch of the imagination and the reactions from the fans of both these teams is actually baseless.

On 24 June, almost a week after the Champions Trophy final, Pakistani opener Azhar Ali was asked by a reporter what message he would want to give to the Indian cricket team after registering such a wonderful win. Azhar Ali was spot on with his reply and the crowd behind him appreciated his wise words with a cheer.

The 32-year-old said that it’s imperative they focus and celebrate their victory rather than bashing a splendid side. He also lauded the Indian team’s efforts and said India is a fantastic unit in any format of the game.

“It’s imperative we celebrate our win. India are a fantastic side and they’ve played fantastic cricket throughout the tournament,” said Azhar.

“India-Pakistan clash is just another game” 

A couple of days prior to the commencement of the grand event, Azhar had said in the press as well that India-Pakistan encounter is just another game of cricket and a game between these countries is always good.

He said back then that the game does create a bit of pressure on them, but once the game starts, it’s all normal. “I think when the game starts it looks quite normal. The players play as per the situation and professional players are like that without worrying about anything else,” he said.

Take a look at this video and watch out for the reaction from Pakistan fans when Azhar Ali said India is a fantastic side. 

Question: India Team ko ap kya msg dena chayen gay?

Azhar Ali:

And the response of the crowd. ?? pic.twitter.com/oS0wByyS0F

— Ammar Ashraf (@AmmarAshraf) June 25, 2017