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ISLAMABAD: An Indian lawyer has complained to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take “strict action” against Pakistani batter Muhammad Rizwan for offering prayers during a World Cup match in Hyderabad earlier this month, saying that the act defeated the “spirit of sports.”

Rizwan, widely regarded as one of the best wicket-keeper batters in limited overs cricket around the world, offered prayers during Pakistan’s opening match against the Netherlands on Oct. 6. He scored a century during Pakistan’s next match against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, helping his team complete a record chase against the island nation on Oct. 11. 

In a post on social media platform X the same day, the Pakistani batter went on to dedicate the historic victory to the people of Gaza. This past week, Israel has subjected Gaza to the most intense bombardment in the enclave’s history, putting 2.3 million Palestinians under total siege and destroying much of the territory’s infrastructure.

“The act of Muhammad Rizwan when he read namaz on the cricket field amid many Indians is symbolic of the intentional depiction of his religion which stands against the spirit of the sports,” Indian lawyer Vineet Jindal said in a written complaint addressed to ICC Chair Greg Barclay on Oct. 14. Jindal said he had sent a copy of the complaint to the cricket boards of Pakistan and India as well. 

“The act of representation of his religion by Muhammed Rizwan in the field and further followed by his statement in his press conference regarding the dedication of his victory to the people of Gaza further attests to his religious and political ideology,” the complaint read. 

India’s foreign ministry labelled the full-pronged military operation against Israel as a “terrorist attack” on Thursday, a few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock over the “terrorist attacks in Israel.”

Jindal wrote in his complaint that the wicket-keeper batter’s actions were against India’s ideology. 

“International sports are conducted with the essence of developing an amiable relationship with countries worldwide irrespective of caste, creed, race, and religion and not to create or provoke enmity between communities,” he wrote. 

“Therefore, it is requested to take strict action against Muhammed Rizwan, Wicket keeper and batsman of the Pakistan Cricket team.”

Jindal is the same lawyer who filed a complaint against Pakistani presenter Zainab Abbas earlier this month, accusing her of posting “derogatory” tweets about Hinduism that dated back to 2014. Following the complaint, Abbas, who was in India as part of the ICC’s list of presenters for the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023, abruptly left the country last week. 

In a subsequent post, Abbas apologized for her earlier posts and said she left after feeling “intimidated and scared” due to the online reaction that was unfolding. 

Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign ministry on Sunday celebrated India’s win against Pakistan in Saturday’s World Cup fixture, saying on X that the loss had kept Islamabad from dedicating its victory to the “terrorists of Hamas.”

The tweet was in response to many Indian fans carrying posters in support of Israel at Ahmedabad when Pakistan and India clashed in a World Cup match. After he was dismissed, Rizwan faced a backlash from fans in the bleachers for his support of Palestinians.

“We are happy that India emerged victorious in the #INDvsPAK match at #CWC23 and that Pakistan was unable to attribute its victory to the terrorists of #Hamas,” read the post.