Kirmani laments the loss of cricket’s gentleman spirit
India’s 1983 World Cup-winning wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani has delivered a strong rebuke of the modern game, describing the current era of cricket as “absolutely depressing.” While speaking in an interview with ANI, Kirmani said the sport has been marred by arrogance and a lack of sportsmanship.
“The way cricket is being played all around — I won’t like to take the names of the countries — by and large, there has been no gentleman-ness in the game. There have been very rude, arrogant gestures on the field. I’m not referring to only the Asia Cup,” he said.
Kirmani’s comments come in the aftermath of the Asia Cup 2025, which featured three emotionally charged India-Pakistan clashes. The encounters were overshadowed by on-field confrontations, players refusing to shake hands, and India’s decision to decline receiving the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi.
Global friends question India’s conduct
The 75-year-old wicketkeeper revealed that friends from around the world had reached out to him, expressing disappointment at how politics appeared to seep into the game.
“Indian team ko kya ho gaya hai? Yeh kya politics chal rahe hain on the field? (What has happened to the Indian team? what is this politics that are being played out on the field?). I’m ashamed to listen to the comments from my friends,” Kirmani recalled being asked.
He added that many of his peers compared today’s cricket with his own playing era. “My friends say, ‘Your time was different. You played like gentlemen. But what has happened to the current era of cricketers globally?’” Kirmani said.
The criticism, he noted, left him ashamed as a former cricketer to hear such remarks from those who once admired India’s sporting spirit.
Politics must stay away from cricket, says Kirmani
Kirmani emphasised that politics has no place on the cricket field and urged current players to uphold the traditions of camaraderie and respect.
“It is very depressing to me the way things are going on in the sporting field, particularly in cricket. It is not the right thing that has happened. Politics should not enter sports in general. Leave politics behind. Whatever has transpired away from the sporting field, leave it there itself. Don’t relate it to your winning amount or whatever you are earning from this great game of cricket. Don’t dedicate it politics (political causes). In our time, cricketers had such wonderful camaraderie. Pakistani players coming to India, us going to Pakistan. What hospitality, what love, what affection. I have to put my head down as a cricketer,” he said.
His reflections come amid a broader debate about how recent political tensions have influenced cricket, particularly in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attacks and Operation Sindoor earlier this year. Despite India lifting their ninth Asia Cup title, for veterans like Kirmani, the controversy has overshadowed the essence of the sport.
