Kedar Jadhav said “with confidence” that India will not play Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025
India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in Dubai on 14 September in the group stage
The boycott calls follow “Operation Sindoor” and the Pahalgam terrorist attack
Former India all-rounder Kedar Jadhav claimed that the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan matches at the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 will not be played. Jadhav, a leader in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said “with confidence” that India will not play against Pakistan, continuing the sporting boycott between the two neighbours.
“I think the Indian team should not play at all. As far as India is concerned, I think that wherever India plays, it will always win, but this match should not be played at all, and they will not play,” Jadhav said. “I can say this with confidence.”
“Operation Sindoor is a hit, it is successful,” the former cricketer added.
India and Pakistan have been drawn in Group A of the Asia Cup 2025, scheduledto be hosted in the UAE from 9 to 28 September. The arch-rivals will play their group-stage game on 14 September in Dubai, and if both sides progress to the latter stages, they can meet two more times in the tournament.
The relationship between the two nations has been at its lowest since the terrorist attack on Pahalgam, and India’s military retaliation, termed “Operation Sindoor”. As a result, both sides have continued their boycott of bilateral matches.
Now, calls have been raised for the Indian team not to play their matches against Pakistan even in multi-nation tournaments like the Asia Cup and the World Cup. Earlier, Indian national team spinner Harbhajan Singh had also called for a boycott of the match, citing the sacrifices made by the Indian armed forces.
