Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that players are “helpless” when it comes to decisions about whether the men in blue should face Pakistan in international cricket.
The debate over the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 encounter between the two arch-rivals has intensified following the unforseen tensions between both the countries, which further strained bilateral relations.
Social media has since been flooded with calls to boycott Pakistan across all sports, including cricket.
Even in the Legends League, the India Champions side opted not to play against Pakistan. However, in the Asia Cup, a face-off remains on the cards, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming the team’s participation when announcing the squad on August 19.
Speaking to the Indian media, Gavaskar emphasised that players have no say in such matters and must follow directions.
“If the government has taken a call, I don’t see how the players can be criticised or commented upon, because the players at the end of the day are contracted to the BCCI and they will be taking instructions from the government of India. So it entirely depends on that,” Gavaskar said.
“The players are helpless in this. They’ve been selected to play in the Asia Cup, and if the government says you have to play, then they will go out and play. If the government says you don’t, then the BCCI will act accordingly,” he added.
The Asia Cup will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9 to 28, featuring eight teams split into two groups. Group A includes India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, while Group B features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong.
Dubai will host 11 matches, while Abu Dhabi will stage eight. The tournament opens on September 9 with Afghanistan facing Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi.
India will begin their campaign against the UAE on September 10 in Dubai, followed by the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan on September 14. Their final group-stage fixture against Oman is scheduled for September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
The Super Four stage will take place from September 20 to 26, with the final set for September 28 in Dubai.
India’s squad for the Asia Cup:
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube , Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy , Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson