Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match, saying that once India decided to play, the team should have honoured the spirit of the game fully, including extending a handshake to the Pakistani side.

“I personally feel that once the decision had been made to play, if we feel so strongly about Pakistan, we should not have played…But if we are going to play them, we should play in the spirit of a game, and we should have shaken their hands.,” Tharoor was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

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Citing historical precedent, Tharoor pointed to the 1999 World Cup match between the two nations, which took place during the Kargil war. Despite ongoing hostilities, Indian and Pakistani players had observed proper sport

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