Sunil Gavaskar suggests India will lose by boycotting Pakistan at World Cup 2019; demands Imran Khan to prove there is 'Naya Pakistan'

Former Indian great Sunil Gavaskar has stated that India will be at loss if they choose to boycott Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup 2019, and suggested that he will have a direct talk with neighboring country's PM Imran Khan in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.

While most of India is demanding that the national team should not play against Pakistan in the sporting event later this year, Gavaskar has opined that such a decision will have no impact on Pakistan.

"Who wins if India decides against playing Pakistan in the World Cup? And I am not even talking about the semis and the finals. Who wins? Pakistan wins because they get two points....India has so far beaten Pakistan every time in a World Cup, so we are actually conceding two points when by beating Pakistan, we could make sure that they don’t advance in the competition," he told India Today.

While he believes the India should not only play Pakistan, but beat them to add misery on them, the 'Little Master' mentioned that he will stand by any decision taken by his country's government on this matter.

"I am with the country, whatever the government decides, I am with it totally. If the country wants we shouldn’t play Pakistan, I am with them.....Where does it hurt Pakistan? It hurts them when they don’t play a bilateral series against India. In a multi-team event, India will lose by not playing them. The entire matter needs to be looked at with a little more depth, I can understand emotions are running high," Gavaskar added.

READ: Decision To Boycott Pakistan In World Cup 2019 Will Be Taken After Opinion Of Indian Government, Says CoA Member Diana Edulji

The 1983 World Cup winning team member further said that he will hold a conversation with Imran Khan and tell the Pakistan PM to abide by the words he spoke during his swearing-in ceremony.

"Let me speak directly to Imran Khan, someone who I have admired so much, who I think is a friend. Let me say to Imran ‘when you took over you said that it is going to be a new Pakistan’. You said that ‘India should take the first step and Pakistan will take two steps’ but not as a politician, as an average sportsperson, I want to say to you that Pakistan is the one which should take the first step," the Little Master also mentioned during his conversation with India Today.