By Aayush Kataria

Copyright timesnownews

The Indian camp broke its silence on the calls for it to boycott the India-Pakistan clash in the 2025 Asia Cup and shut any chances of the team not playing their second Group A fixture in the continental showpiece event, which will take place at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday (September 14). For those unversed, the tournament’s future appeared in jeopardy after the Pahalgam Terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor in May. However, the tournament was given the go-ahead by the government of India, which also gave the Suryakumar Yadav side the permission to play against Pakistan after the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs issued a new policy that allows matches in multi-national events. Not only are India and Pakistan in the same group, they could face each other thrice in the competition if both teams make the final. Although India was awarded the hosting rights of the event by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the tournament was shifted to the UAE by the Board of Control. Team India Put Onus On BCCI, Government of India In the build-up to the game, there have been loud calls on social media for the Men in Blue to boycott the clash. Amid the tense atmosphere around the game, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak opened up on the controversy and claimed that both the BCCI and the Government of India were aligned. “Once we are here to play. Players are focused on playing cricket. That’s what we focus on,” said Kotak in a pre-match press conference. “I think for the player and us. Once BCCI says, and they are aligned with the government. We are here to prepare and to play. India-Pakistan is always a competitive game. So we would rather focus on that,” Kotak added. India kick-started their campaign in the 2025 Asisa Cup with a victory over the UAE by nine wickets on Wednesday (September 10).