India-Pakistan match in the upcoming T20I World Cup is slated to be held in Dubai on October 24. However, the demands for cancelling upcoming India vs Pakistan match at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 are gathering pace, with Union Minister Giriraj Singh asking for ‘reconsideration’ due to the tense relationship between the two countries.
The blockbuster contest is scheduled to be held on October 24 in Dubai. India and Pakistan have not played the Test series for more than 14 years. As far as bilateral series in ODIs and T20Is are concerned, it has been over eight years. India-Pakistan only faces off each other during ICC events and Asia Cup. The political tension between the two neighbouring countries flared up after the terror attack in Mumbai’s Taj Hotel.
India-Pakistan Match In T20I World Cup Should Be Reconsidered: Giriraj Singh
India-Pakistan faced each other last in the 2019 ODI World Cup round-robin stage, where the former won by 89 runs (DLS method). Their last T20 World Cup face-off resulted in India’s 6-wicket win over Men in Green in Kolkata in the 2016 edition.
However, due to the unfortunate political situation, the two teams haven’t played a bilateral series since 2012-13. Pakistan and India’s last bilateral ties at either of the two neighbouring countries were 2 T20Is and 3 ODIs in India way back in 2012.
“I think the match should be reconsidered since the relations between India and Pakistan aren’t good,” Singh responded to a query if the India-Pakistan match should even be held in the wake of targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir.
There’s been a series of targeted killings of civilians, especially the non-locals, in J&K recently. Two labourers, non-local, were killed Wanpoh area of Kulgam when terrorists began firing indiscriminately on them. A carpenter and a panipuri hawker, both hailing from Uttar Pradesh, were shot dead in the union territory on Friday.
India – Pakistan Match In T20I WC Shouldn’t Be Held As Situation At Border Isn’t Ideal: Pargat Singh
Punjab Minister Pargat Singh has also called for the cancellation of the match, saying one should avoid anything that may contribute towards further souring the relationship between the two nations.
Mukesh Sah, brother of Arvind Kumar Sah, 30, the panipuri seller who the terrorists killed, says that India-Pakistan matches should be cancelled forever for consistent terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir.
“Terrorists are entering Jammu through Pakistan and killing people. We should never play any match against Pakistan again,” he said.
Meanwhile, India captain Virat Kohli has played down the hype surrounding his team’s clash with Pakistan as he wants to treat the epic clash as another game of cricket.
“I have just approached this game (vs Pakistan) as another game of cricket and I know there is a lot of hype around this game, more so with ticket sales and demands of tickets,” Kohli had said recently.
The bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan have been suspended due to the heightened diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The two teams only meet on the cricket field either at the global or continental events, the last of which was at the 2019 ODI World Cup in England. It’s worth noting that the Men in Green are yet to beat their arch-rivals in a World Cup game in 12 encounters across the T20I and 50-over editions.