As India's Chandrayaan-2 blasted off from the Sriharikota space centre in Andhra Pradesh state on Monday, 39-year-old cricketer Singh posted a tweet, featuring emojis of flags belonging to Islamic nations, including Pakistan, in the first line, and flags of the US, India, China and Russia - the four countries who have successfully conducted moon missions in the second row. "Some countries have moon on their flags. While some countries having[sic] their flags on moon," the tweet read.
Some countries have moon on their flags
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) 22 July 2019
🇵🇰🇹🇷🇹🇳🇱🇾🇦🇿🇩🇿🇲🇾🇲🇻🇲🇷
While some countries having their flags on moon
🇺🇸 🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇨🇳#Chandrayaan2theMoon
The tweet infuriated Pakistani citizens, some of whom lashed out at the Indian cricketer nicknamed the “Turbanator”.
I mean on one hand you call us a small country that doesnt matter. On the other hand, we are ALL you talk about, even on your big days.
— خان (@KaliDaal) 22 July 2019
Even if you reach Saturn you will still be a small nation trying to one-up Pakistan. No grace at all. Build more toilets.
— Meraj Hasan (@_merajhasan) 22 July 2019
Some people do not look at the abject poverty that surrounds them and lock horns. India is the only country in the moon club that has hundreds of visible men, women and children defecating in broad daylight. Let us first fix the basic things before we go over the moon.
— Hilal Ahmad (@saadooni0112) 22 July 2019
In fact, some of the Indian Twitterati also felt that the tweet was in poor taste, saying the country’s accomplishments shouldn’t be celebrated by mocking other nations.
So only you can spread the poison in the name of "freedom of expression" and bajji can not celebrate the proud moment of @isro ?? #DoubleStandard !!
— Neha Pandey (@pandey_neh) 23 July 2019
Shame on you @harbhajan_singh .
— Ashish Joshi (@acjoshi) 22 July 2019
Your Tweet is in bad taste and shows Indians in a bad light.
You are not a True Sportsman.
You are a Communal Person
I hope @bcci takes action against
You for your Communal Tweet and stops yours Pension .
Shame on You.
However, with over 9.9 million cricket-loving followers on Twitter, it was only a matter of time before his fans jumped in to defend the 2011 World Cup champion.
Its a clever punch line, where is the offence in it? No need to paint religion and start a border war on twitter. ( also why is every paki response "get toilets first"? Is that the only thing you have more of than India?)
— Kasturi Shankar (@KasthuriShankar) 22 July 2019
Pakistanis: See, India has to launch a huge rocket to get to the moon. We cut it and put it in our flag more than 70 years ago.
— Truth Speaks (@TPrasadSpeaks) 22 July 2019
Pakistan's supporters in India:
🤦♂️🤦♀️#Chandrayaan2 #MissionMoon2 https://t.co/DUDxWy2ff2
@harbhajan_singh 😅😅 now we can surely say it proudly...🇮🇳
— Trisha Singh Rajput (@TrishaSinghRajp) 23 July 2019
The intensive India-Pakistan cricket rivalry was on display in the recently concluded Cricket World Cup 2019 in England, courtesy of the tensions dominating relations between the two South Asian neighbours.
They were exacerbated by a deadly suicide bomb attack on a convoy of Indian military personnel in Pulwama in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on 14 February. In response to the attack reportedly claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Indian Air Force conducted an air raid on a suspected terror camp in Balakot on 26 February.
India and Pakistan have not played a single bilateral cricket series in the last five years, due to the lack of clearance from their respective governments.
