The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is facing a social media storm over its decision to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, with critics arguing the match is an insult to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. However, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia has defended the move, stating that the board is simply adhering to the central government’s policy.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times, Saikia clarified that the government has recently issued a policy that guides India’s sporting engagements with Pakistan. According to this policy, India will not engage in any bilateral sporting contests with Pakistan, but will continue to face its neighbors in multilateral tournaments such as the Asia Cup or ICC events.
Saikia explained that boycotting a multi-national tournament would have severe repercussions for Indian sports. “If we boycott this tournament, that will bring a lot of negativity for all our future endeavors of hosting any multinational tournament in the country,” he said. He added that such a boycott could hurt India’s dream of hosting major international events like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
The controversy was sparked by the upcoming Group A match in the Asia Cup. The decision to play came despite the recent Pahalgam terror attack and “Operation Sindoor,” India’s retaliatory strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan.
Saikia reiterated that the government’s stance is clear: “Had it been a bilateral tournament, we could have always said that we would not play against any hostile country. And so far as Pakistan is concerned, we are not playing any bilateral tournament since 2012-13 onwards.”