Despite outrage after the Pahalgam terror attack, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed India will face Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025, stressing that boycotting a multinational event could hurt India’s hosting prospects, unlike bilateral series.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Devajit Saikia, confirmed that Team India will proceed with the Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan, scheduled to take place on Sunday (September 14) at the Dubai International Stadium. The match between arch-rivals is expected to grab the attention of the cricketing world as it is taking place against the backdrop of the April 2022 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the militant attack on civilians in Baisaran Meadows, seven kilometres away from the Pahalgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, there has been a massive call for a boycott of sporting engagements with Pakistan, as a mark of protest against the cross-border militancy by the rival nation. The BCCI was under immense pressure to withdraw Team India from the high-voltage clash due to widespread outrage from the Indian public.
However, the BCCI agreed to play Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025, which was confirmed after the group stage fixtures were released by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). There has been widespread political criticism over this decision, with several leaders questioning the BCCI’s stance, arguing that engaging in cricket with arch-rivals undermines the sentiments of the Pahalgam terror attack’s victims and the ongoing fight against terrorism.
‘We cannot boycott the multinational tournament’
Amid the widespread outrage over the BCCI’s decision to go ahead with the clash against Pakistan, secretary Devajit Saikia refuses to budge on the boycott calls, stating that it would put India in a negative light in hosting any international tournaments or events in the future. He added that the board cannot directly cancel the match since the Asia Cup is a multinational tournament.
“We have decided to participate in the Asia Cup because it is a multinational competition. It is just like an Olympic, any FIFA tournament, AFC tournament, or International Athletics Tournament. So we cannot boycott the multinational tournament because if we boycott this tournament, that will bring a lot of negativity for all our future endeavours of hosting any multinational tournament in the country,” Saikia told Hindustan Times.
“So therefore, as it is a multinational competition, we are participating because we do not have a direct call or direct decision whether to play or not to play. Had it been a bilateral tournament, we could have always said that we would not play against any hostile country. And so far as Pakistan is concerned, we are not playing any bilateral tournament since 2012-13 onwards,” he added.
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Meanwhile, former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur stated that it is a ‘compulsion’ to play Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 as part of multinational tournaments like those organised by the Asian Cricket Council or International Cricket Council, adding that the Men in Blue will face elimination from the tournament if they forfeit the match.
Team India will not be friendly with Pakistan
Further speaking about the blockbuster clash, the BCCI secretary affirmed that India will not engage in a bilateral series with Pakistan, but when it comes to multinational tournaments, the team has no choice but to play.
“We have decided to take a call that Pakistan is not friendly with us and they are always acting against our country,” Devajit Saikia said.
“Therefore, we decided not to play as BCCI against PCB. But when it is an international tournament like last year’s T20 tournament in the West Indies and the USA, or any other tournament or maybe in February, also, there will be the ICC T20 World Cup or the present ICC tournament or the Champions Trophy, we are playing it because in those tournaments we do not have a direct call, we have to play. Otherwise, the whole tournament will get diluted,” he added.
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Recently, the Indian Government expressed its firm stance on the policy of permitting participation in multinational sporting events, such as the Asia Cup, even amid strained bilateral relations. However, the government stands firm on suspending bilateral series between the two nations, either in India or Pakistan.