'Hard to believe that the match is happening...': Ex-India star shares blunt take on clash against Pakistan in Asia Cup

Ahead of the commencement of Asia Cup 2025, former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary shared his take on the clash between the Men in Blue and Pakistan going ahead as planned. Notably, the arch-rivals are set to lock horns against each other on September 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The former batter expressed his disbelief over the fact that the match is taking place despite the Pahalgam terror attack which saw 26 innocent civilians lose their lives. Tiwary remarked that the value of human life is bigger than sports and also confirmed that he will not be tuning in to watch the game.

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“I am a little surprised that this match is going to happen… After the Pahalgam attack, in which so many innocent civilians were killed, and then the war that followed, a lot of talk was going on that this time we will give a befitting reply. Despite this, after a few months, everything has been forgotten… I find it hard to believe that this match is happening, that the value of a human life can be zero. What do they want to achieve by playing with Pakistan?… The value of a human life should be more than sports… There is no question of me watching the match at all," Tiwary told ANI.

This statement comes after the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had given the green light to Team India to play the Asia Cup. This means that the clash between India and Pakistan on September 14 is definitely on, but the bilaterals between the two teams won't be taking place.

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Additionally, the sports ministry introduced a new policy regarding India's international sports relationships and the officials confirmed that it is effective immediately. According to this policy, Team India is only permitted to compete against Pakistan in multilateral tournaments and not in bilateral competitions.

India's fixtures for Asia Cup

Meanwhile, India will begin their Asia Cup campaign with the match against UAE on September 10 before the marquee clash against Pakistan on September 14. They will conclude their group stage with their face-off against Oman on September 19.