Rajeev Shukla downplays Afridi's 'Kashmir' support comments

Ridiculing embattled Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi in connection with his comment, 'a lot of people from Kashmir' had come to cheer his team during the World Twenty20 match in Mohali, senior BCCI functionary Rajeev Shukla on Wednesday said that the flamboyant cricketer is still recovering from the shock of two losses his team had suffered and that his statements should not be given much attention.

"After two consecutive losses, what Shahid Afridi says we don't have to pay much attention. He is going through a bad phase, even the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to sack him, so I believe we need not pay much attention to his comments," said Shukla, the Indian Premier League chairman.

Hailing the sportsmanship of the people of the nation, Shukla added: "I would just like to say that people who applauded Afridi's games were all Indians as they appreciate a good game, to classify them as Kashmiri supporters is wrong."

Earlier in the day, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur lashed out at the Pakistan T20 skipper for his remarks, saying "He was not correct politically and a player should keep himself away from these political debates."

The all-rounder has been under scrutiny following Pakistan's repeated poor display, with PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan having already declared that the board would sack Afridi after the conclusion of World T20.