NEW DELHI: India’s cricket team will continue to feature in next month’s
Asia Cup, with the Sports Ministry clarifying on Thursday that its new stance on international sporting engagements with Pakistan will not affect multilateral tournaments. The ministry, however, reiterated that bilateral contests between India and Pakistan remain suspended, in line with New Delhi’s broader policy.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The fresh policy announcement comes against the backdrop of recurring questions over whether India would travel for tournaments involving Pakistan or host matches featuring its arch-rival. Officials stressed that the distinction between bilateral engagements and multilateral competitions is central to the new framework.
“We will not stop the Indian cricket team from playing in the Asia Cup as it is multilateral,” a ministry source confirmed to PTI.
India vs Pakistan: Bilateral freeze remains
The ministry statement made it clear that there will be no resumption of bilateral sporting ties. “In so far as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India,” the policy read.
This effectively rules out any possibility of an India-Pakistan cricket series on home soil or away, a scenario that has been off the table since 2012-13. The two nations have since faced off only in ICC or ACC events, such as the World Cup, T20 World Cup and Asia Cup.
Multilateral participation protectedWhile bilateral ties remain frozen, India’s participation in global and continental events remains assured. “We will abide by the Olympic Charter,” the official said, underlining India’s responsibility as a sporting nation to not obstruct international events due to political considerations.
This means Indian teams and athletes will continue to compete in tournaments that also feature Pakistan — whether abroad or at home. Similarly, Pakistani athletes will be able to take part in multilateral events hosted by India.
The announcement reaffirms India’s dual stance: no bilateral sporting revival with Pakistan, but no obstruction of multilateral tournaments either. For Indian cricket fans, it means that the highly anticipated Asia Cup, where India and Pakistan could clash three times, remains firmly on the calendar.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
Read MoreThe TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide.
From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more.
The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics.
We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects.
We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.
Read Less
Start a Conversation
Post comment