Mashrafe Mortaza slams jokes on Indian cricketers by his countrymen

Before every India vs Bangladesh game, cartoons demoralising Indian cricketers have become a norm on the internet. And it was no different this time around. When the two sides were to clash in the Asia Cup final last year, a photoshop image of Taskin Ahmed carrying MS Dhoni’s severed head was promoted by Bangladeshi fanatics on social media. This time, a cartoon of a scared dog with Indian flag superimposed on it being chased by a tiger with a Bangladesh flag has gone viral.

Ever since England beat Australia and India beat South Africa, the photoshopped pictures started doing the rounds. However, the Bangladeshi captain Mashrafe Mortaza made it clear that the cricketers have nothing to do with these demoralising tactics and also said that it is a handful of people who engage in things like that. Mortaza also stated that there’s nothing really a cricketer can do about it.

Talking to media ahead of Bangladesh’s semi-final clash against India, Mortaza said, “These things are not expected and not in the control of players. A match against India is just another game for us and if these cartoons are meant to lift our convictions levels, they just don’t work.”

India under more pressure than Bangladesh 

When asked about the pressure of being in the semi-final of an ICC tournament, he opined that defending champions India would be under more pressure than Bangladesh largely due to India’s large population and the craze for the sport. He also believes that Bangladesh should take the game as just another group game and not let the pressure of a semi-final get to them.

“Yes, we are playing in the semi-final and it is a pressure game. But if we are under pressure then I think India are under more pressure compared to us because of their huge population and the love for the game among common public,” Mortaza said at the pre-match press conference.