While the India vs Pakistan encounter tonight will once again be a much-awaited contest on the field, with the players giving their best amid the high-intensity clash, for the first time, the IND vs PAK match is carrying less of a tinge and spice off the field as Indian fans have been calling for boycotting of the marquee Asia Cup 2025 encounter.
There has, shockingly, also been a challenge for the organizers to sell all the tickets. Earlier, the stadiums for the IND vs PAK matches used to be a complete sell-out, with even the most expensive tickets getting purchased in quick time. However, for the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup group game, the organizers have reportedly lowered some of the prices of tickets and are doing everything possible to sell the seats and fill up the stadium.
The Indian fans are going after the BCCI majorly, and some have brought up the apparent “invisible boycott” by the Indian cricket board.
When and where is the India vs Pakistan match?
The India vs Pakistan group match in the Asia Cup 2025 will take place in Dubai on Sunday, September 14. The match is scheduled to begin at 8 PM IST / 02:30 PM GMT / 06:30 PM LOCAL, with the toss slated for 7:30 PM IST.
A significant proportion of the Indians are upset and angry with the BCCI, and some have even targeted the Indian players for playing the match against Pakistan in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attacks earlier this year, which were followed by cross-border attacks from both India and Pakistan, leading to the deaths of several Indian army personnel and civilians.
In July, the India Champions team had withdrawn from their matches against the Pakistan Champions during the World Championship Of Legends tournament, including from the semi-final, in England following a furor on social media by fans.
However, the India vs Pakistan encounter—the two teams can face off twice, and even thrice—in the Asia Cup is set to go as planned.
India vs Pakistan: What Is “Invisible Boycott” By BCCI?
After a backlash faced by the BCCI on social media and news channels from several quarters for playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup, the BCCI has reportedly planned for an “Invisible Boycott” of the IND vs PAK match, according to the RedboxGlobal India news outlet.
In this “Invisible Boycott,” the top BCCI officials will apparently skip the India vs Pakistan game in Dubai, and no more than one board official will be present. This “Invisible Boycott” has, however, irked the ire of the netizens further.
This is how Indians reacted on Twitter to the “Invisible Boycott” by the BCCI of the India vs Pakistan game:
India have not met Pakistan in a bilateral series since 2013. However, the two teams meet regularly—and almost without fail—in ICC tournaments and Asia Cup events. In fact, the Asia Cup format since 2018 has been designed in such a way that there are three IND vs PAK matches possible, including the final.
The Indian government earlier clarified that India will not resume bilateral ties with Pakistan, but they will contest their matches in multilateral tournaments. This point was recently reiterated by BJP MP and former sports minister Anurag Thakur a day before the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup game.
“When multinational tournaments are organised by ACC or ICC, it becomes a compulsion, a necessity for nations to participate,” Thakur told ANI.
“If they don’t do that, they will be eliminated from the tournament, they will have to forfeit the match and the other team will get the points.”
He added, “But India doesn’t play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan. We have made this decision for years that India won’t play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan until Pakistan stops terrorist attacks on India.”
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