DUBAI — As the cricket world gets ready for the high-stakes Asia Cup encounter between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has said that the team is still focused on the game. Kotak said at a news conference on Friday that since the BCCI agreed to play, the team has just been focused on how well they do on the field.
Kotak told reporters on the sidelines of a training session at the ICC Academy facility, “Once BCCI said they were in line with the government’s decision, our focus was always on the match.” “It’s India against Pakistan, and the game will be fun. He went on to say, “India vs. Pakistan is always a tough game.”
The game on Sunday will be the first time the two teams have played each other since a series of clashes across the border in May. India started “Operation Sindoor” against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan after a terrorist incident in Pahalgam, Kashmir, that killed 26 tourists. This made things much worse between the two countries. Because of this, many people in India are calling for a complete break in cricket ties with Pakistan.
The Indian government just established a new policy that says there won’t be any sporting competitions between India and Pakistan, but India would still take part in global tournaments like the Asia Cup and ICC events.
Kotak was very clear when questioned if the players could really stay untouched by the geopolitical concerns. He said that the team is just focused on the task at hand. “Players are only thinking about the ground right now,” he remarked.
The two squads have been ready for the competition in quite different ways. India has been supporting Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership in the shortest version of the game, while Pakistan has come under fire for making big changes to their T20 structure, such leaving out established players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Even if there are major contrasts, all eyes are now on the highly anticipated match between the two cricketing giants.