Indian and Pakistani fans have warred for years and it often gets nasty. Most recently, a Pakistani fan named Farooq Khan tried to throw shade at the Indian cricket team by sharing highlights of the infamous 36 all out against Australia at the Adelaide Oval three years ago.
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The intention of Khan’s post on X (formerly Twitter) last night wasn’t to find joy in Australian bowlers’ domination but in India’s humiliation. As a result, legendary broadcaster Harsha Bhogle had the most respectful and fitting response to it.
Unlike Khan, Bhogle took pride in India turning the tables to eventually lifting Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. With India bouncing back from an embarrassing defeat to win two out of the remaining three Tests, Bhogle cited it as a case study on how to convert an adversity into a great performance.
Without getting nasty, engaging in any verbal spat, or even being hurt and upset, Bhogle calmly dismantled the Pakistani fan for his outright hateful and shameful post. There were no harsh words used, but safe to say, Khan was put in his place. He even shared a few inspirational words as he redefined class and suave.
“When you seek joy in someone else’s adversity, you remain small and petty. So think big, think class, you might just find a wonderful world. Hopefully ….”, read a part of Bhogle’s post on X.
I am glad you put this out Farooq because it led to one of the greatest performances in Test history. This is a case study on how you convert adversity into match winning performances through great courage, outstanding leadership and self-belief. When you have that pride, you… https://t.co/qXLZTccyjI
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 6, 2023
It is to be noted that such fans exist on both sides of the India-Pakistan border. However, it is worth pointing them out, albeit with compassion, in a bid to stop the spread of hatred in its tracks irrespective of one’s allegiance towards a team.
Harsha Bhogle Was Worried About India’s Team Composition Before They Made History
There is no denying to the fact that India had shown an unprecedented amount of courage, resilience, and an undying mentality to win the Brisbane Test and the series – their second consecutive down under. Having said that, even Harsha Bhogle, alongside many other pundits of the game, wasn’t sure if India could pull off such a miracle after the Adelaide debacle.
Speaking in a Cricbuzz video on a terrifying December 19, 2020, Bhogle had stated concerns regarding the team selection for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“What I worry about is, what we call the comings and goings in this side”, Bhogle had said at the time.
For the unversed, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pacers Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma‘s respective unavailability due to fitness concerns had put India under immense trouble from a selection point of view. However, not easily though, all selection-related concerns were put to rest eventually after India registered terrific victories at the MCG and the Gabba on either side of a historic draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
