{"id":12077,"date":"2025-09-11T23:24:57","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T23:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/11\/harbhajan-makes-strong-statement-before-ind-pak-match-everyone-said-there-should-be-no-cricket-cricket-news\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T23:24:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T23:24:57","slug":"harbhajan-makes-strong-statement-before-ind-pak-match-everyone-said-there-should-be-no-cricket-cricket-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/11\/harbhajan-makes-strong-statement-before-ind-pak-match-everyone-said-there-should-be-no-cricket-cricket-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Harbhajan Makes Strong Statement Before IND-PAK Match: &#8216;Everyone Said There Should Be No Cricket&#8230;&#8217; | Cricket News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"story-9566314\">\n<p><span class=\"jsx-395e0e0beb19cb6e jsx-4143937483\">Last Updated:<\/span><time class=\"jsx-395e0e0beb19cb6e jsx-4143937483\">September 11, 2025, 22:14 IST<\/time><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asubttl-9566314\" class=\"jsx-c9f81425ec968c48 jsx-3959731028 asubttl-schema\">Harbhajan Singh urges improved India Pakistan relations before cricket matches, praises Indian team post Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and calls for support for flood hit Punjab.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"jsx-7dd6bcc4782610a2 artsharwrp\">\n<div id=\"artshare\" class=\"jsx-7dd6bcc4782610a2 artshare\">\n<div class=\"jsx-7dd6bcc4782610a2 stickdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-7dd6bcc4782610a2 deskwrapstkdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-7dd6bcc4782610a2 fontchange\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/font.svg\" height=\"30px\" width=\"30px\" alt=\"font\" title=\"font\" class=\"jsx-7dd6bcc4782610a2 lazyload\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"jsx-c9f81425ec968c48 jsx-3959731028 amimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Harbhajan Singh (Picture credit: X)\" title=\"Harbhajan Singh (Picture credit: X)\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1627283897_news18_logo-1200x800.jpg?impolicy=website&amp;width=400&amp;height=225\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"jsx-c9f81425ec968c48 jsx-3959731028\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Harbhajan Singh (Picture credit: X)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"0\" class=\"story_para_0\">Former spinner Harbhajan Singh emphasised on Thursday that relations between India and Pakistan need to improve before the two nations face each other on the cricket field.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1\" class=\"story_para_1\">Traditional rivals India and Pakistan are scheduled to clash in Dubai for the first time since Operation Sindoor, which India initiated after 26 tourists were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p id=\"2\" class=\"story_para_2\">\u201cIndia-Pakistan match always comes in the limelight, but after the Operation Sindoor everyone said there should be no cricket and no business,&#8221; Harbhajan was quoted as saying to the media by PTI.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3\" class=\"story_para_3\">\u201cWe were playing the (World Championship of) Legends, we did not play that match (against Pakistan),&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4\" class=\"story_para_4\">Following the Pahalgam attack, the Indian government adopted a policy prohibiting bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan, allowing only multilateral events.<\/p>\n<h2>What Harbhajan Said About India Vs Pakistan Cricket Match?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"6\" class=\"story_para_6\">While Harbhajan personally does not support cricket and trade with Pakistan, he respects the Indian government\u2019s stance on the matter.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7\" class=\"story_para_7\">\u201cEveryone has their own way of thinking and understanding, but I feel till the time relations between the two countries do not improve, cricket and business should not be there as well.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8\" class=\"story_para_8\">\u201cBut then, that is my thought. If the government says the match can happen, it should happen, but the relations between the two countries should be better,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9\" class=\"story_para_9\">Harbhajan praised the Indian cricket team for quickly adapting after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the shortest format.<\/p>\n<p id=\"10\" class=\"story_para_10\">\u201cIf there is any team which can beat the Indian team, it is the Indian team itself \u2014 it is such a strong team. Our cricket is at a different level, the way we have made our name\u2026 even if Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) are gone, the team is completely ready,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"11\" class=\"story_para_11\">\u201cPlaying in Dubai is like playing at home and home turf. The role of the spinners will be huge and I hope the team brings the cup back,&#8221; Harbhajan added.<\/p>\n<p id=\"12\" class=\"story_para_12\">Harbhajan also urged support for flood-affected Punjab.<\/p>\n<p id=\"13\" class=\"story_para_13\">\u201cPunjabi people have this spirit and trait of standing up for whoever is in trouble, not just their own people. Today, Punjab is facing this disaster, a lot of people have been affected, a lot of farms have been affected. I would have been nothing if not for Punjab. Your support is important, it can be of any kind,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"14\" class=\"story_para_14\"><em><strong>(With inputs from PTI)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd atawrap\">\n<div class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd atadetailwrp\">\n<div class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd ataname\"><span class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd atthumb\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ritayan Basu\" title=\"Ritayan Basu\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/?impolicy=website&amp;width=60&amp;height=60\" class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd attitle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/byline\/ritayan-basu-16281.html\" class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd atamail\">Ritayan Basu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin&#8230;<span class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd aurpdebtn\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin&#8230;<!-- --> <span class=\"jsx-95088aad1b3c53cd aurpdebtn\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-c9f81425ec968c48 jsx-3959731028 atbtlink fp\"><span>First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs\">\n<p>September 11, 2025, 22:12 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-c9f81425ec968c48 jsx-3959731028 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/cricket\/\">cricket<\/a>  <span class=\"brdout\"> Harbhajan Makes Strong Statement Before IND-PAK Match: &#8216;Everyone Said There Should Be No Cricket&#8230;&#8217;<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f \">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-c9f81425ec968c48 jsx-3959731028 rmbtn news18_read_more\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/cricket\/harbhajan-makes-strong-statement-before-ind-pak-match-everyone-said-there-should-be-no-cricket-ws-l-9566314.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:September 11, 2025, 22:14 IST Harbhajan Singh urges improved India Pakistan relations before cricket matches, praises Indian team post Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and calls for support for flood hit Punjab. Harbhajan Singh (Picture credit: X) Former spinner Harbhajan Singh emphasised on Thursday that relations between India and Pakistan need to improve before&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cricket"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}