Gautam Gambhir wishes Shahid Afridi speedy recovery from coronavirus

Former cricketers have sparred online over political issues in the past

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 23: Shahid Afridi of Pakistan bowls during the ICC Champions Trophy Group A match between Pakistan and West Indies played at Wanderers Stadium on September 23, 2Show more

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has wished Pakistan star Shahid Afridi a speedy recovery after the latter revealed he had contracted the coronavirus.

The two former cricketers have been at each other's throats for more than a decade, taking their fiery on-field altercations to the online world, trading barbs on political issues.

Recently, former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis urged Afridi and Gambhir to settle their differences.

"The banter between Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi has been going on for a while now. I think they both got to be smart, sensible, and calm down," Waqar had said.

"It has been going on for way too long. My advice to them is to maybe catch up somewhere around the world and talk it out if you cannot really calm it down."

And after Afridi revealed on social media that he had tested positive for Covid-19, Gambhir said he hopes the Pakistan star gets well soon.

"Nobody should be infected with this virus. I have political differences with Shahid Afridi but I want him to recover as soon as possible. But more than Afridi I want every person infected in my country to get well as soon as possible," Gautam Gambhir told Sports Tak news channel.

Afridi had been involved in a major charity drive in Pakistan before he was laid low by the virus. The star all-rounder runs his own charity – the Shahid Afridi Foundation – which has been helping the poor and vulnerable during the pandemic.

Afridi's foundation and volunteers have been distributing food items including rice, flour, lentils, sugar and oil. He also runs the Sahibzada Fazal Rehman Charity Hospital in his village Kohat in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, which offers free medical care.

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