Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin has weighed in on the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash in the upcoming Asia Cup, stating that the final call will rest with the Indian government and cricket board, amid continued political tensions between the two nations.
Speaking on the sidelines of a local event in Karnataka, Azharuddin commented on the September 14 fixture scheduled under the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), saying, “I always say that everything should happen, or if it does not happen, then it should not happen at all. If you’re not playing bilateral matches, then you shouldn’t play in international events too — that’s what I believe. But whatever the government and the board decide will happen.”
India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2012-13, with political relations often dictating sporting ties. Their meetings have since been restricted to ICC and ACC events, such as the Asia Cup and World Cups.
Azharuddin also touched upon the recent trend of Indian veteran cricketers opting out of a scheduled match against Pakistan in the privately-run World Championship of Legends (WCL), clarifying that the tournament is not officially sanctioned.
“The veterans’ league is not official. It’s not sanctioned by the ICC or BCCI — it’s a private initiative. The Asia Cup, on the other hand, is under the ACC’s governance,” he explained.
The former captain also commented on India’s performance in the ongoing fourth Test against England in Manchester, where India trails by 137 runs after England posted a mammoth 669 in their first innings.
“Bowling was not good, and in batting too, they should have scored more runs. But it happens in cricket,” Azharuddin remarked. However, he praised the second-innings resilience shown by India.
“Today both Rahul and Gill played really well. I hope they score big runs,” he added.
As Day 5 approaches, India will look to Gill (78*) and KL Rahul (87*) to lead the fightback and salvage the match, while England eyes early wickets and a potential win.
