Priority With Nation, Says Virat Kohli On Shahid Afridi's Kashmir Rant

Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, asked to comment on Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi's widely-condemned rant on Kashmir on Twitter, said today that he would "never support anything opposed to the benefit of our nation". While refusing to say much "without total knowledge", the Indian cricket captain added that his priority was "definitely with the nation".

Shahid Afridi has been skewered on social media since he posted a tweet alleging an "appalling and worrisome situation" in Kashmir and urging UN intervention. The former Pakistani captain was apparently reacting to an anti-terror operation in Kashmir on Monday in which 13 terrorists were killed.
 

Appalling and worrisome situation ongoing in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.Innocents being shot down by oppressive regime to clamp voice of self determination & independence. Wonder where is the @UN & other int bodies & why aren't they making efforts to stop this bloodshed?

; Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 3, 2018

Virat Kohli said: "As an Indian obviously you want to express what is best for your nation and my interests are always for the benefit of our nation. If anything opposes it, I would never support it for sure."

On a cautious note, the captain added: "But having said that, it's a very personal choice for someone to comment about certain issues. Unless I have total knowledge of the issues and the intricacies of it I don't engage in it but definitely your priority stays with your nation."

A far more trenchant retort to the former Pakistani skipper came from cricketer Gautam Gambhir yesterday.
 

Media called me for reaction on @SAfridiOfficial tweet on OUR Kashmir & @UN. What's there to say? Afridi is only looking for @UN which in his retarded dictionary means "UNDER NINTEEN" his age bracket. Media can relax, @SAfridiOfficial is celebrating a dismissal off a no- ball!!!

; Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 3, 2018

One of the tweets that attacked Shahid Afridi was from a fake Virat Kohli handle.

Just a Correction : it's a "Pakistan Occupying Kashmir" .. KASHMIR WAS, IS AND WILL BE A INTEGRAL PART OF INDIA 🇮🇳.

- Virat Kohli⏺️ (@imVkohi) April 3, 2018