Should the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup clash go ahead? Harbhajan Singh slams the prospect

India and Pakistan, as border-sharing nations, have never maintained a relationship that can be termed 'cordial'. Political tensions have always been a part of the neighbours' interactions, seeping into many aspects. In fact, terrorist attacks even marred the entertainment industry, wherein Pakistani actors and singers faced backlash for their work in the Indian industry. However, all this while, sports, mainly cricket, went on. If anything, the tussle between the neighbours translated into added tension on the field, with an India vs Pakistan clash long regarded as the pinnacle of cricket rivalry. Now, as the arch-rivals gear up for a showdown in Asia Cup 2025, voices are loud against the ACC schedule.

Calls grow louder against India vs Pakistan showdown at Asia Cup 2025

The horrific 26/11 terror attack saw India terminating any bilateral relations with Pakistan as the Men in Blue never toured the neighbouring state again. This time, their remaining cricket interactions, limited to ICC and ACC events, have come under mass scrutiny. The heinous Pahalgam terror attack, followed by the large-scale India-Pakistan conflict earlier this year, has led to the Indian audience calling against any relations between the two in any arena, including cricket.

The teams last played against each other at the ICC Champions Trophy, where India played all its fixtures in Dubai despite Pakistan being the official host. The Pahalgam terror attack happened after the marquee event in February. The aftermath of the terror attack saw India launching Operation Sindoor, during which the Indian forces destroyed multiple terror hubs in Pakistan. However, the notorious neighbours escalated the matter, taking aim at civilian sites in India. While a ceasefire was reached after a couple of days of military and aerial showdown, the event, once again, brought out the real face of the terror-harbouring nation.

The India-Pakistan conflict this time has left a lasting mark on the Indian masses. The fans who once awaited an India vs Pakistan clash with bated breath now have no interest in such high-stakes matches anymore. The call is simple, boycott Pakistan in every aspect and cut off any interaction. Despite the uproar, however, the ACC announced the Asia Cup 2025 schedule, with India and Pakistan placed in the same group.

India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman form Group A of the upcoming Asia Cup. Being in the same group means that the ACC event could potentially host three India vs Pakistan matches. The group-stage clash has been slated for 14 September in the UAE. The next face-off in the India cricket schedule could then be at the Super Four stage and the Asia Cup final if both teams manage to reach the ultimate fixture. The schedule for the ACC tournament was announced after a meeting where the BCCI, reportedly, agreed to the setting. However, the decision and the following Asia Cup schedule have irked the Indian audience, who are actively calling for the cancellation of the fixtures.

Harbhajan Singh makes his stance clear on the potential India vs Pakistan clash at Asia Cup

An instance of the public's perception against India and Pakistan playing each other was recently witnessed at the World Championship of Legends tournament. India Champions, led by Yuvraj Singh, were scheduled to open their WCL 2025 campaign against Pakistan Champions. However, as the clash neared, the backlash intensified. Ultimately, players like Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan pulled out of the opener. Lastly, the WCL called off the India vs Pakistan match, apologising for hurting public sentiments.

Further ahead in WCL 2025, India Champions and Pakistan Champions set up a semifinal clash against each other. This time, the Indian team did not wait for the fans to give them a wake-up call, as the players made their intentions clear about not playing their arch-rivals. The WCL called off the semifinal clash as well, and Pakistan moved up to the final match against South Africa. However, it seems the WCL 2025 debacle did not perturb the concerned authorities who planned the groups and fixtures for the Asia Cup.

Now, as Asia Cup 2025 nears, Harbhajan Singh, a part of the India Champions squad at the WCL, has registered a bold statement against the prospect of India playing Pakistan in the UAE. The former spinner made his stance clear, openly criticising the BCCI for approving participation in the Asia Cup and agreeing to face Pakistan in the eight-team event, despite the prevailing sentiment in the country.

"They need to understand what is important and what is not. This is as simple as that. For me, the soldier who stands on the border, whose family often doesn’t get to see him, who sometimes sacrifices his life and never returns home, their sacrifice is so immense for all of us. Compared to that, this is a very small thing, that we can't skip playing one cricket match. It's a very small matter," Harbhajan said.

"Our government has the same stance, 'Khoon aur paani ek saath nahi beh sakte.' (blood and sweat cannot co-exist). It cannot be the case that there’s fighting on the border, tensions between the two nations, and we go to play cricket. Until these big issues are resolved, cricket is a very small matter. The nation always comes first," he added.

Reiterating that “no one is bigger than the country,” Harbhajan stressed the need to put national interest above everything else. He pointed out that while India and Pakistan no longer play bilateral cricket, the recent Kashmir attack has intensified calls for India to boycott Pakistan in multi-nation events as well. The former India spinner also appealed to the Indian media to stop amplifying statements from Pakistan and went a step further by suggesting that Indian cricketers should avoid even shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts.

“Are they that important? Are they that important that every news channel has to give weightage to them? When you have boycotted them, when you don't want to talk to them, then why show them here? This is the duty of the media, to stop this. They shouldn't be adding fuel to the fire,” said Harbhajan.