Kapil Dev, a former captain of India’s World Cup-winning team, has spoken out about the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match at the Asia Cup. He told fans and the media not to make it a “big issue” and to let the players focus on their game.
Since the schedule for the Asia Cup was made public, there has been more discussion on whether India and Pakistan should play cricket against each other because of the tense political situation between the two countries.
Dev told media on Thursday that players should focus on their game before the Asia Cup match against the green shirts.
“Just go win.” People whose job it is to play should just play. They don’t need to say anything else. “The government will do its job, and the players should do theirs.”
The last time India and Pakistan played a series against each other was in 2012–13. Political tensions and worries about safety have stopped cricket exchanges, so the only times they meet are at ICC and ACC tournaments.
India is officially hosting the 17th edition of the Asia Cup, but because of ongoing hostilities between the two countries, neither team has played on the other’s soil.
So, the event is taking place in the United Arab Emirates, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the host cities. India started their championship defense with a strong nine-wicket win over the UAE, knocking them out for 57 runs in just 79 balls and chasing the score in just 27 deliveries.
In response to India’s first game, the 66-year-old observed, “The team is very good and has won a great game.” We hope they win the trophy.
It is important to note that Pakistan will start their campaign against Oman at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday, before they play India on Sunday.
