New Delhi [India], August 19 : Ahead of the Asia Cup, former Indian cricketer Surinder Khanna gave his take on whether the India-Pakistan clash must be played or not, saying that while matches should take place especially during multi-national/ICC tournaments where there is a trophy at stake, the blooodshed on the border should also stop, remarking "enough is enough".
India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
The question of whether the popular cricketing fixture should take place has been a massive point of debate leading up to the tournament, especially after Indian legends did not play their matches against Pakistan in the World Championships of Legends (WCL) recently due to tensions between both nations. While there have been voices backing the match to go ahead, as it's a multi-national tournament with a title at stake, there has been a massive section just as vocal in calling for a boycott of the match.
The reason is Operation Sindoor, which was launched in May by the Indian Armed Forces against Pakistan-backed terror groups following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Speaking to ANI about the India-Pakistan match, Surinder said, "As far as playing the match is concerned, this is for the government to decide. I am too small of a person to speak on that. As a player, yes, sports should be there. But at the same time, I feel that the bloodshed on the border should also stop. Enough is enough," he said.
Surinder said that while it is understandable to play Pakistan during a multi-nation tournament/ICC event as there is a trophy at stake, his feelings are in line with those of the nation.
"My feelings are with the people of the nation. The killing of innocent people at the border on both sides should stop," he added.
Team India last toured Pakistan for cricketing purposes back in 2008, and the last bilateral series between these two arch-rivals was way back in 2013. Since then, both nations have played at ICC/Asia Cup events.
On Friday, in his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the success of Operation Sindoor and saluted the role of the armed forces who targeted terror sites in Pakistan. The operation, he said, was an expression of India's outrage at the Pahalgam terrorists' attack in which "husbands were killed in front of their wives and fathers were killed in front of their children after being asked their religion".
"I am very proud that from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I am getting the opportunity to salute the heroes of Operation Sindoor. Our brave jawans punished the enemy beyond its imagination," PM Modi said.
Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.