The India vs Pakistan contest is the pinnacle of sporting rivalry between the two nations. Any match between the two teams divides opinions and generates immense excitement among fans and experts from both countries. The same scenes were witnessed when India’s Rana Singh and Pakistan’s Shahzaib Rindh faced off in the Karate Combat last week. The intense battle saw the Pakistani athlete emerge triumphant 2-1. The contest went into the third round after Pakistan’s Rizwan Ali and India’s Himanshu Kaushik won the first and second match, respectively. However, after the game, Shahzaib’s gesture became a big talking point on social media. The Pakistani athlete was seen holding the flags of both his country and India’s. Even the match presenter couldn’t resist asking him the reason behind this act. Explaining the gesture, Shahzaib said: “This fight was for peace. We are not enemies, we are together. Together we can do anything. This fight is for Pakistan and India’s friendship and being closer.”
A beautiful and powerful message by Pakistani fighter @RindhShahzaib after his victory over Indian fighter in @KarateCombat #KC45 Pakistan beat India by 2-1 in team competition in Dubai last night.. #ShahzaibRind #KarateCombat #PakvsInd #PakvInd #Unity pic.twitter.com/tCikyDBNrM
“And, I want to thank Salman Khan for coming here. He’s my superstar. I’ve been watching your movies since childhood. It’s been a pleasure to fight in front of you. Thank you,” he further said. Thank you salman bhai for coming and supporting Pakistani athlete #salmankhan #Salmankhanfans #shahzaibrind #martialarts #sports #pakvsindia #pakvsindiafight pic.twitter.com/AlaTcN7ZYb
After returning to Pakistan, Shahzaib, was quoted as saying by dawn.com , that it was the government’s “bad luck” that it did not support its heroes. “If our heroes are supported accordingly, they can become role models for our youth,” he said. “They will also be motivated and join sports,” he said. He added that his next aim is to win the world title. “It is happening soon in Dubai and I will go there and bring Pakistan the world title,” Rind said.