Nation Outrage But BCCI Decides To Play. India-Pak In Same Group In Asia Cup

New Delhi: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced the dates for the Asia Cup 2025, which is set to commence on September 9. As speculated, the T20 tournament will be hosted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Until recently, the fate of the Asia Cup remained uncertain due to ongoing India–Pakistan tensions, following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which Pakistani terrorists brutally killed 26 tourists vacationing in Jammu and Kashmir.

In retaliation, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, a massive counter-terror operation that targeted multiple terror hideouts and Pakistan’s air defence infrastructure.

India’s response extended beyond airstrikes as New Delhi suspended the Indus Water Treaty, repatriated all Pakistani nationals, and severed diplomatic, sporting, and other forms of engagement with Pakistan.

Now after all these actions, a question arises that when the government has chosen to disengage with Pakistan across all platforms, why has the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to move forward with hosting the Asia Cup and reportedly placing India and Pakistan in the same group?

The cricket board's decision to participate in the tournament alongside Pakistan appears to contradict the national sentiment in the wake of the Pahalgam tragedy and disregards the sacrifices of the brave soldiers still engaged in conflict at the border. Can the memory of the victims of such brutal terror attacks be set aside, just for the sake of a cricket tournament?

This raises a deeper question: Is sport more important than the sentiments of a grieving nation? Is it justified to play cricket with Pakistan, even in a multilateral format, when Operation Sindoor is ongoing?

Can playing a match be considered acceptable while families of Pahalgam victims continue to reel from trauma, having been deliberately targeted for being Hindus by the terrorists. Is the game more important when the government continue with its efforts to expose Pakistan's support for terrorism, allowing groups to operate freely on its soil and funding attacks in India.

Despite the rising wave of boycott calls and intensifying national sentiment, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly decided to proceed with the tournament.

As the designated host of this edition, BCCI will oversee participation from eight nations: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Hong Kong.

Even though, the dates for the Asia Cup 2025 is out, many nationalists still continue to make the boycott calls.

Amid this, former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth said that we should put our families and country first.

It's to be mentioned that boycotting international sporting events is not a new thing as countries in the past have skipped such events while keeping their national interest first.

Like in 1956, Spain, Netherlands and Switzerland boycotted Olympics. In 1980, United States along with 60 others countries boycotted Moscow Olympics.