Mumbai, Sep 25 (IANS) India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav on Thursday appeared before an International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee, Richie Richardson, over his alleged political statements after the Group A game with Pakistan in Dubai on September 21, according to reports reaching here.

Reports said that Suryakumar Yadav has been told to refrain from making political statements in his official press conferences in the future.

Surya appeared before the committee along with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) COO Hemang Amin and Cricket Operations Manager Sumeet Mallapurkar. Reports said he was shown video clips from his press conference and admitted that he did make those statements.

The hearing was conducted after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) complained to the ICC about his political statements after the Indian team’s victory against Pakistan in the group stage of the ongoing Asia Cup.

After India’s win, Yadav dedicated the victory to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and also mentioned the subsequent Operation Sindoor that India launched on the terror infrastructure in Pakistan.

The India T20 captain also did not shake hands with his counterpart, Salman Agha, at the toss, while the Indian players refused a customary handshake after the match.

When asked whether he breached the sportsman spirit, SKY replied: “Few things are ahead of Sportsman spirit. We stand with all victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and dedicate it to the Armed Forces who took part in Operation Sindoor.”

“The ICC committee told Suryakumar to stay away from political statements in the future,” sources told www.telecomasia.net. “The ICC impressed upon the Indian skipper that if everyone says political things, then it will become tough to handle.”

Meanwhile, Telecom Asia Sport also reported that two Pakistan players — Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf — will also appear before the committee on Friday. They have been summoned following a complaint by India over their offensive and political gestures during the recent Super 4 stage match. Farhan and Rauf did not appear on Thursday as they were playing a match against Bangladesh in Dubai.

The Indians took umbrage at Farhan mimicking firing a gun with his bat while Rauf repeatedly made gestures about a plane crash, referring to Pakistan’s false claims that they had brought down Indian jets during Operation Sindoor.

Both the Pakistani players have been asked to appear before the match referee as they have committed, sources said, a breach of the code of conduct over making political gestures and slogans.

–IANS

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