Tag: Harbhajan Singh

  • Harbhajan Singh’s wife responds to backlash, clarifies why Singh supported Shahid Afridi

    Harbhajan Singh’s wife responds to backlash, clarifies why Singh supported Shahid Afridi

    Harbhajan Singh’s wife, Geeta Basra has responded to the trolling he received by Indians after he extended humanitarian support to Shahid Afridi’s foundation amid coronavirus crisis.

    Speaking to Hindustan Times, Geeta said, “Harbhajan knows what his country means to him and doesn’t want to explain an act of humanity. He lives for India and will die for India. His country will always come first. Whenever he has played cricket, he did it with his heart. And everyone knows what India means to him.”

    She continued, “This goodwill gesture was to help Afridi, with whom they have played cricket and have years of friendship. Afridi is doing his bit for his country. They tried spreading the word to their fans all over the world, inspiring more people to support his good work.”

    “Let’s not bring religion or anything else into this. Even the virus isn’t making any discrimination. They would’ve done the same if anyone from any of the other teams like West Indies or England would’ve sought help,” Geeta added.

    Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh had earlier this month faced massive criticism for supporting Afridi in his fight against coronavirus.

    Both players in a video message had urged people to contribute and called on other cricketers in the two countries to make similar appeals. However, their own people had trolled them and called them out for offering their help to Pakistanis.

    Yuvraj, at that time, had responded to the matter by saying, “I really don’t understand how a message to help the most vulnerable gets blown out of proportion! All I tried to achieve was to help people in our respective countries by providing healthcare. My intention was not to hurt anyone’s feelings.”

    However, the spinner Harbhajan, kept silent on the issue. The bowler’s wife has now spoken up on why his husband decided to not respond to the criticism.

  • Indian cricketers face intense backlash for backing Shahid Afridi’s coronavirus fund

    Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh faced scathing criticism from triggered Indian social media users after they declared support for former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi’s foundation in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

    Afridi’s appeal for donations to help people affected by the deadly virus in Pakistan has had overwhelming support from leading cricketers.

    Harbhajan urged people to contribute in a video message, and called on other cricketers in the two countries to make similar appeals.

    https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1244148978326765568?s=20

    “These are testing times, it’s time to look out for each other,” Yuvraj wrote on Twitter in a call for funds.

    https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1244873490303340544?s=20

    While Afridi thanked the two, Indian Twitter users reacted with fury at the support for a rival player who has been a vocal critic of India’s handling of the Kashmir dispute.

    “Do you have any sense?” wrote one Twitter user. “Lost respect” for Harbhajan Singh, added another. “Sorry guys you lost it.”

    Following the hate, Singh clarified that his intention was not to hurt anyone’s feelings and that he remains a true patriot and will always “bleed blue.” Singh’s note was retweeted by Harbhajan.

    https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1245295251385958400?s=20

    India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2012-2013 and have seen a new peak in tensions over Kashmir, which has been at the centre of two wars between the neighbours since 1947.

    World Cup-winning batsman Yuvraj, who made a return from cancer before finally retiring last year, has also raised money to fight coronavirus through his ‘YouWeCan’ foundation.

    India, which has been under a 21-day lockdown since March 24, has so far confirmed more than 1,600 coronavirus cases and 38 deaths.

  • Harbhajan Singh praises Shahid Afridi for his humanitarian work

    Harbhajan Singh praises Shahid Afridi for his humanitarian work

    Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh hailed Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi for providing rations to families whose breadwinners cannot go out to earn during lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    Harbhajan took to twitter and wrote, “Great work for humanity. May god bless us all. More power to you. Praying for world’s well-being.”

    https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1242675667818270720?s=20

    Minister of state for the Narcotics control, Shehryar Afridi, also hailed the cricketer’s efforts.

    Thousands of people have lost their lives due to coronavirus across the world and there have been 997 cases reported in Pakistan so far.

    India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also imposed a nationwide lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.