Maldives Row: Hardik Pandya to Sachin Tendulkar - How cricketers reacted to 'Boycott Maldives' trend

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Maldives Row: High-profile members of the Indian cricket fraternity including Hardik Pandya and Sachin Tendulkar joined the chorus promoting Indian islands as Maldives leaders mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep.

Maldives Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment Mariyam Shiuna remarks against PM Narendra Modi sparked outrage in India. PM Modi shared a few scenic pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep to share his experience. The Maldivian minister commented on one such picture and used derogatory words like 'clown’ and 'puppet’ for Indian supremo.

Hardik Pandya took to X and expressed concerns over remarks being made on India. The star all-rounder vowed to visit Lakshadweep on his next holiday.

"Extremely sad to see what's being said about India. With its gorgeous marine life, beautiful beaches, Lakshadweep is the perfect get away spot and surely a must visit for me for my next holiday #ExploreIncredibleIndia," Hardik posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Sachin took to social media to share a video and a picture from his 50th birthday celebrations in Sindhudurg and praised the coastal town for its 'gorgeous locations' as well as 'wonderful hospitality'.

"250 days since we rang in my 50th birthday in Sindhudurg! The coastal town offered everything we wanted, and more. Gorgeous locations combined with wonderful hospitality left us with a treasure trove of memories.

"India is blessed with beautiful coastlines and pristine islands. With our “Atithi Devo Bhava” philosophy, we have so much to explore, so many memories waiting to be created. #ExploreIndianIslands," Sachin posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Former India cricketers Aakash Chopra and Venkatesh Prasad also hit back at Maldives for distasteful comments against India. Venkatesh Prasad called Maldives a 'poor' country, and appealed for development of coastal towns in India.

'India Out’ was a part of the manifesto. Maldives voted for it. Now, it’s up to us, Indians, to choose wisely. I know that my family will. Jai Hind," Aakash Chopra posted X.

"A deputy minister using such language for our country. Maldives is a largely poor country largely dependent on upmarket tourism with over 15% tourists from India. India has very many unexplored beautiful coastal towns, and this is a great opportunity to develop many of them into tourist destinations," Venkatesh Prasad said.