Cricket wins, India loses as BCCI & Authorities go the buck on India vs Pakistan match at Asia Cup 2025

Cricket wins, India loses. It might sound overdramatic, but that’s the reality. If the India vs Pakistan match goes ahead in the Asia Cup 2025, cricket will be the winner in a contest that always draws billions of eyeballs. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor, where India and Pakistan exchanged blows in a 17-day stand-off, a cricket match would be nothing short of a spectacle. Cricket will be the winner. But is that something the Indian public wants? Not at the moment. Hence, despite making big claims on ties with Pakistan, playing in Asia Cup will mean a loss for India.

However, with the Government of India and the BCCI refusing to take the responsibility for the call, the India vs Pakistan match in Asia Cup 2025 will go ahead as per schedule on September 14. They can face off two more times during the tournament if both teams qualify for the knockouts.

“The current policy on cricket against Pakistan hasn’t changed. We won’t be involved in any bilateral matches. But when it comes to multi-national events, we have the government’s go-ahead. We asked the government for advice on Asia Cup and we got the go-ahead as matches won’t happen in India,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.

Cricket wins

Not many sporting rivalries generate as much as an India vs Pakistan cricket match. Almost every Indian and Pakistani tune in, while millions of neutral fans also do not want to miss that clash. And why not! IND vs PAK clashes have provided some thrilling contests over the years, with the T20 World Cup match at the MCG being one of them.

With a bumper rise in viewership for just a match, the organisers rake in millions. So much so that the entire broadcast deal for the Asia Cup is determined by the number of times India face Pakistan. Similarly, ICC also takes advantage of that to schedule IND vs PAK match in every World Cup, pitting the two teams in the same group. And in the backdrop of the recent stand-off, if the match goes ahead, fans won’t be disappointed, nor would the broadcasters, cricket boards, and sponsors. However, one must note that IND vs PAK cricket has never been compromised despite war, stand-offs and terror attacks in India.

Former India captain and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, who wanted no ties with Pakistan just after the Pahalgam attack, said sport must go on. That statement came after Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh refused to play against Pakistan Champions in World Champions League, a private T20 league for retired cricketers.

Opposition parties in India, including former cricketers-turned politicians, have blamed the Indian government for allowing the IND vs PAK match to go ahead. However, Rajeev Shukla is the BCCI vice president who attended the ACC AGM virtually. But the irony is that Shukla is also from an opposition party.

India loses

However, political rivalries are above sport. India and Pakistan consider each other as enemy nations. While the Indian government has asked the BCCI not to play any bilateral matches that benefit Pakistan directly, the current scenario is different.

As many as 26 innocent civilians lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. The terrorist outfit is backed by Pakistan, as per intelligence agencies. As a result, India responded with military force against the terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and on Pakistani soil. That followed a retaliatory attack from Pakistan and India responded. India lost 12 more civilians and an army personnel in the attacks, as per official records.

In the immediate aftermath, Indian politicians, sportspersons, and even India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir voiced their opinions against any ties, including cricket, with Pakistan. But after just two months, everything seemed to have gone back to normal. Despite initially refusing to attend the Asian Cricket Council AGM in Dhaka, BCCI representatives joined in virtually.

That also broke the deadlock in the Asia Cup 2025. Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the interior minister of the country, announced that the Asia Cup would go ahead. Within days, Naqvi tweeted the Asia Cup schedule even before the official ACC social media handles. And he chose the date July 26. In India, it is the Kargil Vijay Diwas. Even though it is a day to celebrate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 Kargil war, it also reminds everyone of over 500 lost souls. That, on Naqvi’s behalf, was a subtle dig and also a declaration. India lost, even though cricket won.

BCCI & GOI pass the buck on responsibility

While the general thought is that the public has a memory of a goldfish, the India-Pakistan affair is more than sensitive. As soon as the Asia Cup 2025 schedule was announced, there was a major backlash on social media. Both the BCCI and the Indian government came under fire. However, both chose to remain silent. All that has come out in public are anonymous statements. But neither has wanted to take responsibility. The BCCI officials say that they went ahead after a nod from the Indian government. The Indian government sources claim that since the BCCI is not yet under the sports code, it has no authority over cricket’s most powerful body.

“Currently, the BCCI does not fall under the ministry’s jurisdiction, as the National Sports Governance Bill has yet to be passed. So, while the ministry has no formal say, we will observe how the BCCI responds to public opinion,” News Agency PTI cited a source from the sports ministry.

While the sports ministry passed the buck to the BCCI, the Indian board did not take the call on its own. BCCI consulted the Indian government before going ahead with the Asia Cup as the host. After the backlash, several reports claim that BCCI could still take a U-turn and decide against sending the team to the Asia Cup 2025. But that would invite sanctions from a Pakistan-led ACC.

“The BCCI cannot withdraw from the tournament or the match now. The decision was agreed upon after the ACC meeting. Since India is the host nation, nothing can be changed at this stage. An official-level discussion took place, and the outcome was decided accordingly. The match will go ahead as scheduled,” BCCI sources told IANS on Sunday.

Can India forfeit the match?

While India cannot withdraw from the tournament, BCCI can still refuse to field a team against Pakistan, right? Yes, of course, they can. But there will be consequences. If the team does not take the field against Pakistan, India will have to give Pakistan a walkover, which the public would not want. And the board will also be penalised as the broadcaster will suffer heavy losses.

“This is not a bilateral contest but a match in a multi-nation tournament. If India does not play or forfeit the match, it will give Pakistan a huge advantage. This will be like giving them a walkover, which is not desirable,” NDTV quoted a source.

Hence, at the moment, no matter the public sentiment, IND vs PAK clash will go ahead. The only pressure will be on India to win the match at any cost. A loss will be devastating.