World Cup Winner Harbhajan Singh Slams India For Playing Against Pakistan in 2025 Asia Cup

Harbhajan Singh believes the Indian T20I team, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, should collectively boycott the Asia Cup match against Pakistan.

World Cup Winner Harbhajan Singh Slams India For Playing Against Pakistan in 2025 Asia Cup

Harbhajan Singh criticized that the 2025 Asia Cup fixture between India and Pakistan should have been cancelled. (via Firstpost)

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Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his opposition to the India-Pakistan fixture, scheduled to be played next month at the 2025 Asia Cup. Singh stated that, in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, there should be no place for cricket between the two nations.

The Indian T20I side will face off against arch-rivals Pakistan on 14 September in Dubai, in a group stage match of the 2025 Asia Cup. However, this fixture comes at a time of heightened geo-political tension between the two countries.

India and Pakistan were on the verge of a full-scale conflict after Indian security forces launched a series of attacks on militant outposts in Pakistan, in retaliation for the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 innocent civilians.

The Indian armed forces carrying out strikes on several terror outposts near the border, under Operation Sindoor. Pakistan retaliated by mobilizing its forces, leading to an escalation of the conflict that lasted until a ceasefire was eventually agreed upon. Despite the ceasefire, tensions have remained, with a majority of the Indian population skeptical of any engagement with Pakistan, including in sports.

Despite the diplomatic tensions and hostile environment, the two teams were placed in the same group and could potentially face each other up to three times, including in the final. In an interview with the Times of India, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh spoke out against the India-Pakistan fixture, stating that it could have been avoided out of respect for the sacrifices of the soldiers at the country’s borders.

Referring to the deadly terrorist attack earlier this year, Singh suggested that the Indian team should have boycotted playing against their Pakistani counterparts, arguing that cricket is a trivial matter compared to the overarching issues at the borders.

The 45-year-old former spinner also suggested that the BCCI should have aligned with the government’s stance that ties between India and Pakistan would remain suspended until cross-border terrorism ends. He said:

For me, the soldier who stands on the border, who sacrifices his life, their sacrifice is so immense for all of us. Compared to that, this [Asia Cup] is a very small thing, that we can’t skip playing one cricket match.

Harbhajan Singh strongly asserted that ‘blood and sweat cannot co-exist together,’ referring to India’s strained relations with Pakistan. Singh went on to say that for the Indian cricket team and the BCCI, the nation should always come first. He was in fact, a part of the India ‘Champions’ team at the 2025 WCL, that boycotted two matches against Pakistan, including a crucial semi-final, citing the ongoing tensions.

Our government has the same stance, ‘Khoon aur paani ek saath nahi beh sakte’ [Blood and sweat cannot co-exist]. Until these big issues are resolved, cricket is a very small matter. The nation always comes first.

It remains to be seen whether the 2025 Asia Cup fixture will suffer a similar fate to the two WCL matches, where players collectively pulled out of the game, or if it will proceed unhindered. A segment of Indian cricket fans has already called for a boycott of the match’s viewership.

Harbhajan Singh Predicts India’s 2025 Asia Cup Squad, Leaving Out Several Big Names

2011 World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh most recently, picked his probable Men in Blue T20I squad, for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup, in the UAE. Singh surprisingly left out several big names from his predicted squad, including world number two-ranked batter, Tilak Varma. 

Harbhajan Singh India Asia Cup squad
Harbhajan Singh picked India’s squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup. (via Hindustan Times)

Harbhajan Singh first named Suryakumar Yadav as the captain, while including Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Abhishek Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal as the top-order batters. He then suggested that either KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant should be selected as the wicketkeeper, while naming Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Riyan Parag as the all-rounders. For the bowling department, Singh picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.

The 45-year-old, however, left out several key players who have been regulars in India’s T20I setup, including Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Varun Chakravarthy. Singh’s also excluded talented players like Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, and others.