BCCI bans questions on India vs Pakistan match at Asia Cup squad announcement PC

The last time India and Pakistan played a T20 match in the Asia Cup (2022), India lost.

An India vs Pakistan cricket match: that’s the objective behind hosting the Asia Cup for the last 20 years or so. The broadcasters yearn for the revenue that’s generated for India’s matches, especially when Pakistan is the opponent. Ratings and revenue go through the roof. That’s exactly what broadcasters and boards want.

As we saw in the ODI World Cup 2023, filling a 132,000-capacity stadium isn’t difficult. People can’t wait to see cricket’s biggest rivalry. The fact that an India vs Pakistan match happens only at two events, the Asia Cup and ICC tournaments, makes it even more special.

Tense situation

But this time, things are a bit different. In May, tensions between the two nations rose. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian public was adamant about cutting all ties with Pakistan. This included cricket. It was assumed that a strong stance would be taken. But the Indian government was fine with India and Pakistan playing sports at international events.

The public wasn’t pleased. Such was the scrutiny that two legends cricket matches between India and Pakistan, which were being played in England, were cancelled. The displeasure won’t change anything, though. Because not only will the Asia Cup 2025 go ahead, but there’s almost a certainty of two India vs Pakistan matches happening.

BCCI cancels India vs Pakistan question

Today, India announced their squad for the Asia Cup. Towards the end of the press conference held at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters, a question was asked about how India will approach the match against Pakistan, given what’s transpired in the last couple of months.

Before India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav or chief selector Ajit Agarkar could answer, the question was dismissed. The media manager stated that only questions regarding the team selection would be addressed. If the Indian government doesn’t have any issues allowing Team India to play Pakistan, why does BCCI have an issue with addressing the question?

PCB, happy to answer

In contrast, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had no qualms about answering a question relating to India and Pakistan when they announced their squad for the Asia Cup just two days ago.

“Everyone knows the situation surrounding the two countries (India and Pakistan). But we don’t need to put extra pressure on them (players),” Aaqib Javed, Pakistan’s high-performance director, had said.

Perhaps the BCCI was worried about what Suryakumar or Agarkar would say, and that it might lead to backlash. Whatever the reasoning was, it certainly doesn’t look good. A simple ‘We would play against them like any other opposition’ would do. But just cancelling the question paints a poor picture.