After the ghastly terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 Indian tourists, the relations between India and Pakistan are escalating on a daily basis. As the tensions continue to rise, no one really knows whether India will play against Pakistan in the ICC or ACC tournaments. The two countries do not play against each other in bilateral cricket but now calls are rising for India to boycott games against the arch-rival in even the ICC events.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed states and union territories on Monday to conduct drills to strengthen the country’s preparedness against modern and complex threats. However, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar reckons that this drill will not impact the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
During this lights-out drill, there will be simulated air-raid warnings, evacuation rehearsals, and blackout protocols.
“Till something happens, I don’t think it’ll impact the IPL. Yes, in the evening, when the match is being played, there will be of course, there will be perhaps the lights-off drill in the city. Then I think that could be a little bit of a concern,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
“But as of now, I don’t see the drill really affecting the IPL. I think, look, everybody here in India is feeling really safe and secure. There’s no need to worry. I mean, we have the utmost faith in our armed forces, and we have so much love and affection for them,” he added.
The 1983 World Cup winner also said that the entire country has full faith in the armed forces, saying overseas guys in the IPL are not feeling insecure and everything is going on as planned.
“Because of them, we have been sleeping so peacefully all these years. Because of our armed forces, the army, navy, and air force, we are sleeping so peacefully at night, every night. So we have got, of course, confidence and faith and trust in them,” said Gavaskar.
“And so, no, I don’t think anybody’s feeling insecure. Even the overseas guys are not feeling insecure. Not that anybody has ever said anything to me,” he added.
India-Pakistan cricket depends on the situation
Gavaskar also said that cricket relations between India and Pakistan can only improve if the situation improves. He said that if India and Pakistan were to play a match next week, he would not see it going ahead due to their current animosity.
The Women’s World Cup and Asia Cup are two events scheduled for this year, and there’s no clarity on whether India will square off against Pakistan.
“That’s some months away, so you never know what happens. Things can get better, and I do hope that things can get better. But till then, I think it’s very difficult to say,” Gavaskar said.
“At the moment, if you were to ask me next week, I don’t think India and Pakistan could have played next week. But this ICC tournament is a little distance away, so maybe we’ll have to wait a bit for that,” he added.
Earlier, while speaking to the same platform, Gavaskar hinted that Pakistan would not participate in the Asia Cup. This opinion was criticised by several former Pakistan cricketers, such as Javed Miandad and Basit Ali.
Gavaskar also suggested that if India withdraws from the Asia Cup, the BCCI might organise a separate multi-nation tournament in India by inviting teams like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
