After a great tour of England, it is now time for the Asia Cup. Team India will go to the UAE for this tournament next month. Even though India is officially hosting the Asia Cup, due to tension with Pakistan, the matches will be played at neutral venues.
The big question is – will India play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, or will we see something similar to when India Champions boycotted both the league stage and the semi-final against Pakistan in the WCL?
India Will Not Boycott Pakistan Match in Asia Cup
In the Asia Cup, India will start its campaign against UAE in Dubai on 10 September. After that, the next match will be against arch-rival Pakistan on 14 September. If both teams reach the final, they could face each other three times in the tournament.
Meanwhile, a report in The National has claimed, quoting Emirates Cricket Board CEO Shubhan Ahmed, that a situation like the WCL will not happen in the Asia Cup. This means India will not boycott the match against Pakistan.
Quoting Shubhan, the report said, “We cannot give any guarantee, but it is not right to compare the Asia Cup with a private event like the WCL. When the decision to play in the Asia Cup was taken, the government’s permission was taken before that. This was definitely done before the announcement of the schedule for the countries. So, we will not be in a situation like the WCL.”
Tension Between India and Pakistan
In April this year, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani terrorists brutally killed innocent tourists in front of their wives and children after asking them about their religion. In May, India destroyed terrorist hideouts inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor with precision strikes.
Angered by the killing of terrorists and the destruction of their hideouts, Pakistan made a failed attempt to attack Indian military bases and some religious places using missiles and drones. India not only shot down the drones and missiles but also destroyed all Pakistani airbases and military bases in a counterattack.
This forced the Pakistani army to plead for a ceasefire through its DGMO. India agreed but made it clear that Operation Sindoor is only postponed, not ended. Since then, tension has remained between the two countries.