Manoj Tiwary urged India to boycott Asia Cup 2025 match against Pakistan
He cited the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam as a reason for the boycott
Tiwary questions the need for the India-Pakistan match amidst political relations
India play Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 on September 14
Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has called for India to boycott their upcoming Asia Cup 2025 match against Pakistan. The arch-rivals are set to play a controversial match in the Asia Cup, scheduled for September 14 in Dubai. However, several former Indian players have called for a boycott of the match, and Manoj Tiwary has said that he will “personally” not watch the match, citing the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
“Look, first of all, I am boycotting the Asia Cup personally. I don’t like to see it. And I don’t know who the squad is. And I don’t want to go into that much detail,” Tiwary, currently an MLA in West Bengal, told ANI. “As I mentioned earlier, I am personally boycotting it. I don’t like to see it because of the kind of environment it has been in, and where people have died in attacks in Pahalgam, we have seen a lot before.”
During the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, 26 people lost their lives to Pakistan-backed terrorists, as per Indian authorities. Since then, the relationship between India and Pakistan has been at an all-time low, leading to an armed conflict following Operation Sindoor.
Since then, India have instituted a complete ban on bilateral series against Pakistan. However, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has allowed multilateral meetings between the two teams to go through, although figures like Harbhajan Singh have called for the Men in Blue to skip the match.
Manoj Tiwary Draws Pulwama Parallels In India-Pakistan Boycott Calls
Tiwary, in his interview with ANI, also referred to the previous terrorist attack in Pulwama, where 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. India accused Pakistan of having a hand in that attack.
“It happened in Pulwama as well. So when this happens, how can we enjoy the game? This is beyond my understanding. That’s why I am boycotting it (India vs Pakistan match) personally,” Tiwary said.
Tiwary also questioned the need for India to play the Pakistan match, highlighting the TRP as one of the reasons the BCCI has not called for the cancellation of the match. “What is the benefit? You have to get TRP; you need revenue?” he said. “If the ICC people cannot get rid of them, then you (India) get rid of that game. In the other games, you do well. See what happens. This will be a statement from our country.”
Despite political tensions, matches between India and Pakistan remain among the biggest draws in world cricket. The last Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan took place in September 2023, drawing over 250 million viewers globally.
