Asia Cup: Harbhajan Singh calls for boycott of India-Pakistan match
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has called for a boycott of the scheduled T20 Asia Cup match against Pakistan on September 14. The tournament is set to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Harbhajan, who was part of the Indian team that pulled out of two matches against Pakistan in the 2025 World Championship of Legends (WCL), believes cricket shouldn't matter until India's larger issues with Pakistan are resolved.
Context
Why does this story matter?
India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads since the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack in April this year. While India responded by launching Operation Sindoor, Pakistan retaliated with drone attacks. In the recently-concluded WCL for retired cricketers, the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions boycotted their matches against Pakistan. However, the 2025 Asia Cup schedule placed India and Pakistan in the same group. It remains the be seen if the matches go ahead as planned.
Sacrifice
'Soldiers' sacrifice is immense'
Harbhajan stressed on the immense sacrifice made by Indian soldiers stationed at the border. "For me, the soldier who stands on the border, whose family often doesn't get to see him... their sacrifice is so immense for all of us," the former spinner told The Times of India. He added that skipping one cricket match in this context is a very small matter.
Relevance
'National duty above everything else'
Harbhajan questioned the relevance of playing cricket when there are border tensions between two nations. He said, "It cannot be the case that there's fighting on the border, tensions between the two nations, and we go to play cricket." Harbhajan urged the players to keep their national duty above everything else. "Whatever our identity is, it's because of this country. Whether you are a player, an actor, or anyone else, no one is bigger than the nation," he added.
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