Suresh Raina claims Indian players were forced to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 despite boycott calls after the Pahalgam terror attack. India secured a dominant victory, but Raina suggests players personally opposed the match.
Former India batter Suresh Raina has made a bold statement after the Men in Blue’s commanding seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 14. This was the first face-off between two rival nations since the Pahalgam terror attack, which took place on April 22.
The Men in Blue, led by Suryakumar Yadav, have almost secured their berth in the Super 4 stage with their second consecutive win of the Asia Cup 2025. After the Indian bowling attack led by Kuldeep Yadav dismantled Pakistan’s batting line-up, restricting the arch-rivals to 127/9, Team India chased down the 128-run target with 25 balls to spare.
Suryakumar Yadav, who was celebrating his 35th birthday, played an unbeaten captain’s knock of 47 off 37 balls. Opener Abhishek Sharma unleashed his firepower at the top and scored a quickfire 31 off 13 balls, while Tilak Varma contributed vitally with an innings of 31 off 31 balls.
India played Pakistan despite boycott calls
Ahead of the clash against Pakistan, there has been a massive call for a boycott of Team India playing arch-rivals in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Following the militants’ attack on the civilians in Baisaran Meadows, seven kilometres away from the Pahalgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, there have been calls for a boycott of any sporting engagement with the rival nation.
Former Indian cricketers, including Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, and Manoj Tiwary, repeatedly urged the BCCI to cancel the fixture against Pakistan in respect of public sentiment and victims’ families. Despite the backlash, the BCCI refused to budge on its stand. The secretary, Devajit Saikia, stated 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.
He further 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.
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Former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur stated that it was 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.
Massive claim by Suresh Raina
Following Team India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025, former left-handed batter Suresh Raina stated that no Indian players were willing to play the arch-rivals as they were forced by the BCCI after the board agreed to it. He believes that players’ personal opinions would have been to boycott the clash.
“I know one thing for sure. If you personally ask the players, none of them wants to play the Asia Cup. In a way, they are forced because the BCCI has agreed to it,” Raina told Sports Tak.
“I am sad that India are playing against Pakistan, but I can also say for a fact that if Suryakumar Yadav and his players are asked about their personal opinions about playing against Pakistan, they would have said no. None of them wanted to play,” he added
Meanwhile, Team India will play their group stage clash against Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 19, and will look to finish at the top of the Group A points table before moving on to the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2025.