From 'Islam Conversion' To 'Religious Discrimination': Danish Kaneria Launches Fresh Attack On Pakistan Cricket

From 'Islam Conversion' To 'Religious Discrimination': Danish Kaneria Launches Fresh Attack On Pakistan Cricket

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News18.com

Last Updated: March 13, 2025, 14:02 IST

Around six years ago, former pacer Shoaib Akhtar rang a bell when he said that some Pakistan players refused to share food with Danish Kaneria due to his religion.

Danish Kaneria had once accused Shahid Afridi of asking him to convert to Islam (Picture credit: AP)

Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria’s latest allegation that he was discriminated against during his playing career has shed light yet again on his earlier complaints against some of the country’s players who he said practised discrimination within the team based on religion.

Around six years ago, former pacer Shoaib Akhtar rang a bell when he said that some Pakistan players refused to share food with Kaneria due to his religion.

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Replying to those allegations, the former spinner said that some players targeted him for being a Hindu, but he never felt the need to change his religion so that he could fit into the team.

“(But) I never made an issue of it. I just ignored them because I wanted to focus on my cricket and bring victories for Pakistan," Kaneria told Samaa TV in 2019.

“Look, I am a proud Hindu and Pakistani. I would like to make it clear here don’t try to portray our cricket fraternity in Pakistan negatively because there are a lot of people who have supported me and backed me regardless of my religion," Kaneria added.

Speaking up in 2023, Kaneria claimed that star all-rounder Shahid Afridi even wanted him to convert to Islam and refused to eat food with him, causing him immense trouble.

“I was doing well in my career and was playing county cricket too. Inzamam-ul-Haq supported me a lot and was the only captain who did so. Alongside him was Shoaib Akhtar. Shahid Afridi and many other Pakistan players troubled me a lot and didn’t eat with me," Kaneria said while speaking to Aaj Tak.

“They used to talk about conversion, but my religion is everything to me. Shahid Afridi was the main person telling me to convert, and he did a lot of times. Inzamam-ul-Haq never used to talk that way," Kaneria added.

Not just Afridi, the former spinner slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board as well for not giving him enough recognition just because he was a Hindu.

“PCB didn’t support me because I was Hindu, and I would break all the records. They could not drop me based on my performance. They knew I could break all the records, and Pakistan has never had a Hindu rising through the ranks," Kaneria said in 2023.

But this wasn’t the first time that Kaneria had alleged Afridi. He had earlier said that the latter didn’t want him in the team because of religious issues, which eventually drew a reaction from him.

“The person saying all this, look at his character. He is accusing me to get cheap fame and make money. Kaneria was like my younger brother, and I played with him in the department for many years," Afridi was quoted as saying by news.com.pk.

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“Everyone knows about his character. If my attitude was bad, then why did he not complain to the Pakistan Cricket Board or the department he was playing for? He is giving interviews to our enemy country, which can incite religious sentiments," Afridi added.

It needs to be seen if Kaneria’s latest allegations manage to get a reply from any Pakistan cricketer or politicians, for whom the question of India and Hindu has always been a sensitive topic to discuss, given continued political tensions between the neighbours.

First Published: March 13, 2025, 14:02 IST

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