India Should Not Give A Bye To Pakistan In International Tournaments
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2025-09-14 11:47:52
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
Should India play Pakistan in international tournaments at neutral venues? This question has popped up as the Opposition intensifies its protest against the Asia Cup match scheduled today at Dubai. Their charge is that just five months after the brutal Pahalgam attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists in which scores of tourists were killed in J&K, India should not play against Pakistan.
Yes, India should not play against Pakistan in bilateral matches. Not in India, not in Pakistan and not even at neutral venues. That can be avoided as those matches are held by design. But international matches are different. There are a set of rules which govern these tournaments and BCCI, the governing body for cricket in India, being a part of ICC, the world governing body, cannot renege on its commitments for playing in such tournaments without avoiding censure and penalties.
In these tournaments, India has to play against Pakistan if drawn to play against them. It can happen at any stage of the tournament and it can also happen multiple times in the same tournament. The best way to tackle this situation is not to hype these matches and play them as you would play any other match against any other team.
One knows that this is easier said than done given the passions and emotions ignited by an India-Pakistan encounter. But India will have to play if it wishes to maintain its rankings and win the tournament, as also maintain a good standing in cricketing and sporting communities. Moreover, not playing against Pakistan will give them a bye and improve their chances of winning the tournament. Why should India allow that?
It is often said that it is better not to involve politics in sports. But if our soldiers get killed on the borders and our civilians are gunned down inside the country by the Pakistani army and terrorists backed by Pakistan, it is better not to have sporting or cultural relations with that country as it gives an impression that everything is normal. It is also definitely an insult to the martyrs and civilians killed in terror attacks.
Having said that, international tournaments at neutral venues are different for reasons given above. We must clearly distinguish between bilateral contact and international commitments. Since the former is by choice and the latter through obligation, there should not be any objection to India playing against Pakistan in the Asia Cup at Dubai today.
