Following Pulwama attack, many sport personalities demanded to boycott India’s match against Pakistan in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019. India are scheduled to lock horn with arch-rival on June 16 at Old Trafford in Manchester. Amidst all this, Sachin Tendulkar's comments hogged the limelight during the past few days. He had stated that though he would back the ultimate decision taken by the government, he would hate to see India concede the two points by forfeiting Pakistan tie. He was criticised for his stance. Some even leveraged charges of him being an "anti-national" and favouring Pakistan with his statement.
Arnab Goswami called Sachin Tendulkar anti-national on his view on WC 2019
Now, in the recent development, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has come in support of the former right-hander and stated, "Both (including Sunil Gavaskar) believe that India can beat Pakistan and emerge victorious in the World Cup. But Tendulkar is being criticised, saying he is favouring Pakistan. He began his illustrious career as a 15-year-old by defeating Pakistan.” Pawar was quick to remind of Tendulkar and Gavaskar's achievements and highlighted that the duo have brought immense laurels to the nation.
Tendulkar, along with many former Indian cricketers including Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman, Mohammad Azharrudin, Sourav Ganguly have shared their views on this matter.