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6 months ago
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Barely two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack in the picturesque north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir which killed 26 innocent lives, Gautam Gambhir had called the central government to severe all ties with Pakistan, including cricket matches at neutral venues during any multi-nation tournaments. In an ABP conclave in the first week of May, the Indian head coach was strictly against playing Pakistan “till all this (terrorism) doesn't stop”.
Four months down the line, Gambhir will be at loggerheads against his own stance when the Men in Blue take on Pakistan in a Group A clash of the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on September 14. Gambhir's comments came at a time when the Asia Cup 2025 schedule wasn't finalised. With just a few days ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, starting on September 8, old clips of Gambhir's remarks have taken over the internet, earning severe criticism from the netizens.
Putting the ball on the government's court, Gambhir had said “I have said this before also, no cricket match or Bollywood or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens. Matches will keep happening, movies will be made, singers will continue to perform, but nothing comes close to losing a loved one in your family."
What Gautam Gambhir had said on IND vs PAK?
Will Gautam Gambhir hold stance on IND vs PAK?
But the real question is will Gambhir hold firm on his stance and follow Shikhar Dhawan & Co next month against Pakistan? Well, Gambhir, a former Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and his boys are unlikely to boycott the Pakistan game in the Asia Cup 2025 as that would impact India's ambitions to host 2030 Commonwealth Games and also the 2036 Olympics. It must be known that the Indian government has directed all the sports bodies in the country to play Pakistan in world or continental events but not in any bilateral encounters.
Earlier, led by Yuvraj Singh, defending champions India withdrew from both their matches against Pakistan at the World Championship of Legends (WCL) a few months before in protest against the Pahalgam attack. However, India's boycott against Pakistan didn't had any effect on the government since WCL is a private franchise league and is not approved by either by the BCCI or International Cricket Council (ICC).
It must be noted that India had already submitted an Expression of Interest to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games after formally getting the approval from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) during a Special General Meeting (SGM) in New Delhi on August 13. India now has time till August 31 to file the final bid proposal.
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