New Delhi: The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has said he doesn’t see Pakistan being part of the Asia Cup 2025 later this year following the Pahalgam terror attack last month. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka later this year, however, the terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam has cast doubt on Pakistan’s participation in it.
In the wake of the terror attack that left 26 people dead and several others injured, the Indian government has taken several diplomatic actions against Pakistan, including banning the social media and YouTube accounts of prominent Pakistani celebrities. There have also been calls for a complete boycott of the Pakistan cricket team.
Several former cricketers have urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to avoid playing with Pakistan in any tournament, including major ICC events. Gavaskar believes the BCCI’s stance will be the same as the Indian government’s. The Indian batting legend said he doesn’t see Pakistan being part of the Asia Cup this year if the relations between the two countries don’t improve.
“BCCI’s stance has always been what the government of India tells them to do. So I don’t think it would be any different when it comes to the Asia Cup. India and Sri Lanka are the hosts for this particular edition of the Asia Cup, so it depends on whether things have changed at all, but if things haven’t changed, I can’t see Pakistan now being part of the Asia Cup, which is going to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka,” said Gavaskar.
ACC can be disbanded: Gavaskar makes bold claim
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is currently the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that organises the Asia Cup. The last edition of the tournament was hosted by Pakistan, but India played all their matches in Sri Lanka after refusing to travel to the country. Gavaskar feels ACC can be disbanded completely if India pulls out of the Asia Cup this year.
“I don’t know how it will be. It might be that the Asian Cricket Council could well be disbanded, and you could just have a three-nation tour, that could well have a three-nation tournament, or a four-nation tournament with maybe Hong Kong or UAE being invited. So that could well happen, the Asian Cricket Council could well be disbanded. But I think it is dependent on what happens in the next couple of months,” said Gavaskar.
India legend Sunil Gavaskar feels it is unlikely that Pakistan will feature in the Asia Cup 2025 later this year. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
