Sourav Ganguly Remains Unbothered by India Playing Pakistan in Asia Cup Amid Terror Concerns: “The Sport Must Go On”

Amid heightened geo-political border tensions, India and Pakistan have agreed to play all cricket matches at neutral venues until 2027.

Sourav Ganguly Remains Unbothered by India Playing Pakistan in Asia Cup Amid Terror Concerns: “The Sport Must Go On”

Sourav Ganguly stated that 'sport must go in', in reference to the upcoming India-Pakistan match at the 2025 Asia Cup. (via X)

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Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly expressed his indifference towards the upcoming India-Pakistan fixture at the 2025 Asia Cup. The 53-year-old’s comments come amid increasing criticism over the BCCI’s decision to proceed with the clash, despite terror concerns.

India and Pakistan are scheduled to face each other in a group stage encounter of the 2025 Asia Cup, having been drawn in the same group alongside UAE and Oman. The match is expected to be played in UAE, on September 14. Should both teams progress to the Super Four stages and reach the final, they could potentially face each other again, making it three matches in a single month.

In the official schedule announced by the ACC, a total of 19 matches are slated for the 2025 Asia Cup, featuring eight participating teams in the T20 format. India, as the defending champions, will commence its 2025 campaign against hosts UAE on September 10, followed by the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan, and the final-group stage match against Oman. Meanwhile, the other group comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka.

While India was initially designated as the original host for the 2025 Asia Cup, the tournament has now been shifted entirely out of the country due to heightened geo-political tensions with Pakistan. Instead of a hybrid model, where most matches would be played in India except for those involving Pakistan, the tournament has been fully moved to the UAE, which also served as a venue for India’s 2025 Champions Trophy matches.

The decision to proceed with the India-Pakistan fixture has drawn significant criticism from cricket fans across India, who have accused the BCCI of disregarding public sentiment and focusing on revenue. Calls for a complete boycott of the Asia Cup have emerged, with fans citing the deadly April 26 Pahalgam terror attacks, which claimed 26 innocent lives, and the war-like situation that followed, as reasons.

However, former India captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, in support of the board’s decision, stated that he is neither concerned nor bothered by the Asia Cup meeting. While condemning the terror attack that took place earlier this year, the 53-year-old suggested that ‘sport must go on’. He emphasised that terrorism is an entirely different subject that needs to be curbed, while adding that these issues should remain away from cricket. Ganguly told ANI:

I am okay. The sport must go on. At the same time Pahalgam should not happen, but the sport must go on. Terrorism must not happen; it needs to be stopped.

Interestingly, Sourav Ganguly’s statements are in stark contrast to the views of other former Indian players. Several Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, and others, boycotted the WCL fixture against Pakistan, as a sign of respect for those who fell in the April 26 attack.

BCCI Insider Addresses Fan Fury Over Announcement of India-Pakistan 2025 Asia Cup Clash

Indian cricket fans have been left angered following the announcement of an India-Pakistan clash at the 2025 Asia Cup. Amidst the public outcry, a BCCI source spoke about the fixture, asserting that the board could not withdraw from the tournament.

BCCI source on India-Pakistan Asia Cup
A BCCI source confirmed why the board went ahead with the India-Pakistan 2025 Asia Cup clash. (via Mint)

A source close to the board recently spoke about the scheduled 2025 Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan, revealing that the decision was collectively agreed upon after the recent ACC meeting. It stated that India, being the host nation, could not back out, and had to accept the outcome of the meeting. The source further added that the match would proceed as per schedule, with changes no longer possible.

Nonetheless, the India-Pakistan clash will be the first time that the two teams face each other since the Pahalgam attack. The last time they played each other was at the 2025 Champions Trophy, in a match where the Men in Blue triumphed by six wickets.