A day after Indian cricket team wore specially designed Army caps as a tribute to the Armed forces during the third ODI match against Australia at Ranchi, Pakistan has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take action for "politicising" the game.
Before the match, former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni presented his Indian teammates with the cap. The 37-year-old is an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army.
During the toss, captain Virat Kohli said that they are donating "match fees of this game to the Nation's Defence Fund" and also urged all the Indians to "donate and stick to the families" of the Armed Forces.
Urging the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to lodge a formal protest against India with the sport's world governing body ICC, Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that Men in Blue have politicised the Gentleman's Game.
Later, he tweeted, "It's just not cricket."
Many in Pakistan, including journalists Owais Tohid and Mazhar Abbas echoed similar views.
"Sad to see war hysteria in Indian cricket team with great players like Virat Kohli and M.S. Dhoni leading it," Tohid said in a tweet. "Heroes shouldn't act like losers," he added.
Abbas termed the decision to wear the camouflage caps the "militarisation of Indian cricket". "Sports can defuse tension but not like this. Don't (drag) cricketers in(to) politics."
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced that every year during any ODI game, the Indian team would be donning the army caps as a mark of respect for the armed forces.
The development came as Pakistan and India reeled from two weeks of high tension following the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 paramilitary troopers.
