On Thursday (18th September), controversial ‘journalist’ Rajdeep Sardesai had a prolonged meltdown after the Indian skipper Surya Kumar Yadav dedicated the team’s victory over Pakistan to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and the Indian armed forces.
For the unversed, India defeated Pakistan during a match held in the UAE as part of the the ongoing Asia Cup tournament on Sunday (14th September). Besides winning by 7 wickets, the Indian cricket team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan team. It also dedicated the dominating win to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and the Indian armed forces.
During an episode of ‘Democratic Newsroom’ aired on India Today on Thursday, Rajdeep Sardesai was seen whining uncontrollably over the supposed linking of ‘sports’ and ‘politics’ by the Indian cricket team.
Journalist Vikrant Gupta had pointed out that shaking hands is not a law in cricket but a convention, the adherence to which is thus not mandatory.
Why is Rajdeep Sardesai so frustrated with Suryakumar Yadav dedicating the win to victims of Pahalgam Terror Attack and Armed Forces?
— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) September 18, 2025
It is only foolish Indians who debate whether "politics and sports" should be mixed or not.
There are plenty of instances in the world where… pic.twitter.com/SgN9EbQARr
“It’s not a rule. It’s a convention. You know, cricket runs on two things. One is the laws of the game. The other is the spirit of the game. These are the MCC playing conditions. So there is the spirit of the game. You may shake hands. You may not.”
A visibly frustrated Rajdeep Sardesai claimed, “Yes, he is right. Shaking hands is a convention. It’s the spirit of MCC cricket. It’s up to each individual. I don’t want to shake your hand. It’s your look out. But when you go and make a political statement…You may approve of the statement as Indians. We may want Surya Kumar Yadav to make that statement, but it goes against the rules of the ICC.”
The controversial ‘journalist’ then compared Indian skipper Surya Kumar Yadav’s gesture with that of cricketers Moeen Ali and Usman Khawaja, who wore a black armband in support of Gaza and Palestine.
“Dhoni put a soldier’s insignia in a match against South Africa. ICC acted. Why have you not acted now? Look, ICC has to decide. Are you Indian Cricket Council or International Cricket Council? They have to decide that,” he brazened out.
While lending credence to Pakistani rhetoric, Rajdeep Sardesai went on to claim that the cricket match between India and Pakistan was somehow a ‘proxy war’. He alleged that the tribute paid by skipper Surya Kumar Yadav to the Pahalgam terror victims in the post-match presentation was aimed at managing headlines for domestic consumption.
Journalist Vikrant Gupta then exposed the lies of Rajdeep Sardesai and pointed out that there was nothing ‘political’ about the statement of the Indian captain.
“Surya said, I dedicate this victory to the families of the Pahalgam victims. Pahalgam is in India. There was a terror incident in India. As an Indian, he can, right? Secondly, he said, and to the armed forces, the field of play is the post-match presentation,” he stated.
“Why are we not criticising and why are we not picking instances when Sachin Tendulkar, just 15 days after the 26-11 attack, when we won the Chennai Test match against England, said the same thing. He said- We dedicate this win to the families of the victims of 26/11,” Gupta emphasised.
