India head coach Gautam Gambhir has shared his views on whether India should play against Pakistan, including Asia Cup and ICC eventsfollowing the Pahalgam terror attack. At an ABP event, Gambhir said that the Indian team should not be playing againsst Pakistan till cross-border terrorism ends. Notably, India have not played a full series against Pakistan since 2007 due to the tense relations both nations share.
“My personal answer to this is absolutely no. Till all this (cross-border terrorism) doesn’t stop there should not be anything between India and Pakistan,” said Gautam Gambhir when he was asked about the future of Indo-Pak cricket in the current environment.
In a terror attack on April 22 in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam, 26 people, mostly tourists, were shot dead. Responding to the horrifying incident, India took some important calls against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty as well.
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“Ultimately this is government’s call whether we play them or not. I have said this before also, no cricket match or Bollywood or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens,” Gambhir said. “Matches will keep happening, movies will be made, singers will continue to perform but nothing comes close to losing a loved one in your family.”
He was also asked specifically about India playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup or the T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka as well and Gambhir said that it will depend on the BCCI and the government.
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“This is not up to me, this is for BCCI and more importantly the government to decide whether we should play them or not. Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it,” Gautam Gambhir concluded.
In the recent Champions Trophy, Team India played all their games in Dubai and as part of an agreement between the BCCI, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the ICC, all India-Pakistan matches in ICC events will take place in a neutral country till the 2027 cycle as well.
