Danish Kaneria, a former Pakistani spinner, experienced significant discrimination from his own teammates. The harassment he faced as a Hindu cricketer ultimately limited his career. The situation escalated to the point where then-President Pervez Musharraf had to intervene, issuing a stern warning to the team. Kaneria revealed the details of this mistreatment during an interview.
Kaneria shared his experiences on a podcast, highlighting the behavior of his fellow cricketers. He recounted how Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, often targeted him, making fun of his religious beliefs and making offensive comments. Kaneria expressed that he was deeply troubled by this. He stated that some teammates actively tried to prevent him from playing.
Kaneria further elaborated that the then-President, upon learning of the situation, called all the players and explicitly stated that anyone who harassed Kaneria would face severe repercussions. Kaneria felt that his teammates were unwilling to let him succeed, as they feared he would break records and achieve great things if given the chance to play more often, especially considering his high ranking as a wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Kaneria represented Pakistan for a decade, during which he played 61 Test matches and took 261 wickets in 112 innings. He holds the distinction of being the leading wicket-taking spinner for Pakistan in Test cricket and ranks fourth overall. Additionally, Kaneria took 15 wickets in 18 ODIs.