Asia Cup 2025 event is just one day away, with the Indian Cricket Team led by Suryakumar Yadav set to begin their Continental Cup title defense against the UAE on Wednesday, September 10. Next up, the Men in Blue will face arch-rival Pakistan on Sunday, September 14. However, the fact that India have agreed to play their Asian neighbors have triggered a debate, both from a sporting and a political perspective, considering the equation of the two countries after the recent military conflict.
A lot of fans feel India should have boycotted playing against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and should follow the same template while playing in ICC events. However, the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia broke the silence on the matter and elaborated why such a drastic step cannot be taken in the NTDV interview.
Also Read:Â Asia Cup 2025: Sanju Samson should bat at the top order - Ravi Shastri
When quizzed about the strong backlash surrounding the India vs Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 event, Saikia stated the Board is simply following the protocols set by the Indian government over sporting equations with Pakistan.
"The technicality regarding participation of the Indian team, for cricket or any other sport, the central government's sports department has laid down the guidelines as well as the policies. While framing the policy, I am sure that the central government has taken a very cautious decision to lay out the guidelines that will help the sports federations at the national level. Accordingly, we can take a call regarding participation in any multi-national tournament," Saikia said.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: 'Kuldeep Yadav is at his peak now' - Ravi Shastri backs the wrist-spinner's inclusion
India boycotting Pakistan in ICC events could lead to severe sanctions from ICC
Saikia also opened up about why boycotting Pakistan in ICC events or other multi-team events could impose heavy penalty on BCCI coffers by the International Cricket Council (ICC) or Asia Cricket Council (ACC). The BCCI secretary also said that such boycotts could dampen the developments of budding cricketers and permanently derail their careers.
"The central government has taken into consideration all the factors, including the interests of the federations as well as the players' concerns. If a tournament has a multi-national facet, and the team doesn't participate, there may be sanctions against a particular federation. Such a situation would deprive the upcoming players and their careers," he asserted.
Also Read:Â After RCB, Virat Kohli opens up about Bengaluru stampede: Your loss is our story
India & Pakistan will meet on September 14. These Asian rivals can also potentially meet each other on three occasions.
