India’s World Cup Winning Legend Blasts Nasser Hussain for His Comments on Pakistan Boycott Controversy

India and Pakistan's T20 World Cup clash at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium, with both teams currently tied on points in the group standings.

India’s World Cup Winning Legend Blasts Nasser Hussain for His Comments on Pakistan Boycott Controversy

K Srikkanth slammed Nasser Hussain for his remarks on the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup controversy. (via Times of India)

In Short
  • Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticized Nasser Hussain for his comments on the India-Pakistan match boycott controversy.
  • Pakistan will participate in the T20 World Cup after successful negotiations with the ICC.
  • Abhishek Sharma's fitness remains uncertain, potentially sidelining him for upcoming matches against Pakistan.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth lashed out at Nasser Hussain for his remarks about the controversy regarding the India-Pakistan match in the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup. Srikkanth accused Hussain of ‘hypocrisy’, and also disagreed with his statements concerning the ICC’s role.

After Bangladesh announced its withdrawal from the 2026 T20 World Cup, citing security concerns, it drew the tournament’s headline India-Pakistan clash into uncertainty. Pakistan, in solidarity with Bangladesh, announced that it would boycott the match against India. It ultimately led to the International Cricket Council (ICC) officials engaging in negotiations with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), over a possible reversal. 

With the ICC conceding to a few of Pakistan’s demands, the PCB took a dramatic U-turn, announcing that the team would take the field against India on February 15, intending to protect the ‘spirit’ of the game. While the uncertainty seems to have ended, the PCB raised questions about the ICC’s vulnerability in handling Bangladesh’s demand that its matches be shifted to Sri Lanka.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain added in, calling out the ICC for its perceived bias against the BCCI and the Indian cricket team. In support of Pakistan and Bangladesh’s actions, Hussain urged the global cricketing body to treat all teams equitably.

The comments, however, did not sit well with former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth, who criticized the 57-year-old for his ‘double standards’. Srikkanth reminded Hussain of a similar scenario during the 2003 ICC ODI World Cup. He said on his YouTube channel:

He [Nasser Hussain] was the captain in the 2003 World Cup when England refused to go to Zimbabwe and Kenya. Why does he want to talk now? England was kicked out, and that is how Kenya came to the quarterfinals.

The former Indian batter went on to explain that the Three Lions, under Nasser Hussain’s captaincy, had, in fact, boycotted a 2003 WC fixture against Zimbabwe after refusing to travel to Harare due to player safety concerns.

He noted that England’s forfeit of the match led to their early elimination. Consequently, K. Srikkanth challenged Hussain’s right to lecture the ICC on consistency, especially since the body currently generates significant revenue from India.

If England or any other team does it, it is okay. No one wants to do arm-twisting. At the end of the day, ICC’s big revenue is from Indian fans across the globe, so India has a little bit of an edge.

The ICC had similarly refused to relocate England’s match to South Africa during the 2003 World Cup. Srikkanth’s 1983 WC-winning teammate Sunil Gavaskar, also criticized Hussain, exclaiming that the Three Lions did not travel to Zimbabwe due to its opposition to the Robert Mugabe regime. 

India-Pakistan T20 WC showdown: Suryakumar Yadav hints Abhishek Sharma might be unavailable

Just ahead of India’s 2026 T20 World Cup showdown against Pakistan, the team might have faced an untimely setback. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav talked about Abhishek Sharma’s availability, hinting that the 25-year-old could also miss out on playing in the next match. 

Suryakumar Yadav on Abhishek Sharma
Suryakumar Yadav hinted at Abhishek Sharma’s unavailability for the India-Pakistan clash. (via Reddit)

Abhishek Sharma was ruled out of India’s group-stage match against Namibia after being hospitalized for a stomach infection. He was admitted to a private hospital in Delhi for treatment, before being discharged a day later after a series of tests. With Sharma missing the final training session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, it was all but confirmed that Sanju Samson would replace him in the playing XI. 

India will be cautious about rushing Sharma back to play, given how important the 25-year-old is to the team’s plans in the latter stages of the T20 World Cup. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, during the toss, shared that the all-rounder is yet to regain fitness and hinted that he might remain out of the playing XI for one or two matches. Sharma’s recent scores against Pakistan are 31, 74, and 5, coming in the 2025 Asia Cup. 

Abhishek [Sharma] is still not fine. He will miss a game or two. I don’t really know.

Coming back to his replacement, Sanju Samson looked in better touch during India’s innings against Namibia, hitting a quick-fire 22 runs off just eight balls, including one four and three sixes. He, however, failed to convert it into a big score, being dismissed in the very second over.

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