'Shahid Afridi asked me to convert, career was destroyed': Pakistan's last Hindu cricketer opens up about discrimination

Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria spoke out on Thursday, sharing how discrimination shattered his career and left him feeling disrespected in his own country. During a Congressional briefing in Washington, DC, focused on the struggles faced by minorities in Pakistan, he joined fellow advocates to voice their concerns about the treatment of these communities.

“We all gathered here and shared our experiences of how we were treated in Pakistan. We have faced discrimination, and today, we raised our voices against it,” Danish Kaneria told news agency ANI.

“I, too, have faced a lot of discrimination, and my career was destroyed. I did not receive the respect and equal value I deserved in Pakistan. Because of this discrimination, I am in the US today. We spoke to raise awareness and let the USA know how much we have suffered so that action can be taken,” Danish Kaneria added.

Danish Kaneria, who proudly represented Pakistan in 61 Test matches, holds the distinction of being the second Hindu cricketer to don the national colors, following in the footsteps of Anil Dalpat. Known as Pakistan's leading wicket-taking spinner, Kaneria made waves in 2023 when he disclosed that Shahid Afridi had persistently urged him to convert to Islam. He also shared that Inzamam-ul-Haq was the sole captain who stood by him during this challenging period.

“I was doing well in my career and was playing county cricket too. Inzamam-ul-Haq supported me a lot and was the only captain who did so. Alongside him, Shoaib Akhtar. Shahid Afridi and many other Pakistan players troubled me a lot and didn't eat with me. Shahid Afridi was the main person telling me to convert, and he did a lot of times. Inzamam-ul-Haq never used to talk that way,” Kaneria said in an interview with Aaj Tak.

In 2012, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) handed Danish Kaneria a lifetime ban due to his involvement in spot-fixing. Despite this controversy, Kaneria had a remarkable career, claiming 261 wickets in Test matches with an economy rate of 3.07, and he managed to take five wickets in an innings on 15 occasions.

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