Gavaskar and Chopra pass their verdict: Former Indian opening batsmen shared their views on whether India should play Pakistan or not.
Contrary to what the majority feels, former Indian opening batsmen in Sunil Gavaskar and Aakash Chopra believe that India should continue with their match against Pakistan in the imminent ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
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Following the unfortunate Pulwama terror attacks, there have been widespread calls regarding India boycotting not just the match but even Pakistan from the entire tournament.
With earlier BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) speaking against boycotting the match and now supported by these two former cricketers, one believes that the right opinion has started to do rounds now.
Gavaskar wants India to defeat Pakistan
In an exclusive interview with renowned journalist Rajdeep Sardesai for India Today, Gavaskar highlighted the fact that other countries won’t agree to boycotting Pakistan from the world event. Moreover, he also talked about speaking to former Pakistan captain and current Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding taking some action now.
On the other hand, Chopra pointed out the recent attacks and said that the decision to play Pakistan can be put on hold. “It’s a question whether India should be playing against Pakistan in the World Cup or not. Do we need to answer it now? The wounds of the attack are very fresh. What has happened in Pulwama has hurt all of us. We are all pained and saddened,” Chopra was quoted as saying to India Today.
Chopra asserts India is not a regressive nation
Not wanting to make a decision based on emotions, the 41-year old claimed India to be a progressive country which will distinguish between sports and politics. Chopra opined that the World Cup trophy won’t mean much for India without beating Pakistan.
[yuzo_related]
“We will always make decisions based on emotions. But do we need to make that decision right now? I don’t think we are obliged to make that decision today.
“We are not a regressive nation in any way. We are a proud nation that actually is mature enough to distinguish between the two [sport and politics]. We are already not playing bilateral cricket with them. You want to be the world champions. You want to be the best. What will be the worth of that World Cup trophy if you haven’t beaten Pakistan along the way?,” Chopra concluded.
Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on the same below:
