On a day when MS Dhoni admits that India Pakistan is more than just opponents in the field, all India Congress leader Shashi Tharoor feels that Virat & Co. should start playing bilateral series with their neighbouring country Pakistan in the coming years. He further raised that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi can attend wedding ceremonies in Lahore, why the two countries cannot play against each other.
“What we have seen that the BJP government has even met with them, their national security advisers met in Bangkok, our Prime Minister met with their Prime Minister in Kufa, then the Prime Minister went to Lahore and participated in a wedding ceremony, a birthday party and what not. So if all that could happen, why can’t we play cricket,” Tharoor was heard saying at the event.
The 61-year-old Member of Parliament, Tharoor added that the situation had changed when the ban was imposed and no game should be held at hostage. The statements came at a time when Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will have to find its way to Pakistan out of the six nations that India will play in the Test championship. The last time they featured in a bilateral series was in 2012 when Pakistan hosted a three-match ODI series.
“I do believe India and Pakistan should play cricket because my view of the India and Pakistan relationship is that we, unfortunately, are not going to go too far with diplomatic contacts through them,” Tharoor further stated.
However, former India captain MS Dhoni, who was recently in Jammu & Kashmir had a different stance on this topic. While talking to the reporters in Baramulla, Dhoni stated that he feels it is up to the government to decide whether these two countries should engage in bilateral series.
“When it comes to India-Pakistan cricket, it is not just sports, but becomes much bigger than that. It is not a simple decision, but a diplomatic and a political decision. I think we should leave it to the government to decide. If the government decides, we will go and play and if they decide against it, we will play some other series,” Tharoor signed off.
