Ever since it was announced that India and Pakistan will be present in the same group in the Asia Cup 2025, many former cricketers have voiced out their opinions over the match between the two teams. There are still question marks over India's participation in the clash especially after the Pahalgam terrorist attack which took place earlier this year in April which saw 26 Indian civilians lose their lives. In response to this, the Indian government conducted a strong army operation against Pakistan named Operation Sindoor.
A massive controversy was caused as soon as the Asia Cup's fixtures were announced. Many had expected that India and Pakistan will not be clashing against each other, but the two teams ended up in the same group. According to the schedule, the arch-rivals will clash against each other on September 14 and though it is expected that tons of fans will turn up to watch the match, former India cricketer Kedar Jadhav wants the clash to be boycotted.
Jadhav, who became a politician after retiring from cricket, made a strong claim and stated that India will definitely not be taking part in the upcoming Asia Cup match against Pakistan.
“I think the Indian team should not play at all. As far as India is concerned, I think that wherever India plays, it will always win, but this match should not be played at all," Jadhav told the media on Sunday.
“Ye match bilkul nahi khelna chahiye, aur khelenge bhi nahi, ye main daave ke saath keh sakta hun," he added.
India refused to play against Pakistan in WCL
Last month, the India Champions had refused to play the semi-final of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 against the Pakistan Champions. The defending champions withdrew from the clash which allowed their arch-rivals to move into the finals where they were evntually defeated by South Africa Champions.