The arch-rivals are due to square off in Dubai on September 14.
India and Pakistan are due to square off in the Asia Cup 2025 group-stage fixture at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 14).
The match will be played in the backdrop of heightened tensions between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
Despite the calls for boycott, the BCCI agreed to play against Pakistan in the continental showpiece. The Indian board’s stand to face the arch-rivals aligns with the government's new policy.
As per the Union Sports Ministry's notification issued last month, India can play Pakistan in "international and multilateral events", but can't engage in "bilateral sports events in each other's country".
Amid the outrage, former Sports Minister and current BJP Member of Parliament Anurag Thakur explained why India will play Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup.
Thakur addressed the issue in a video shared by ANI, saying that such contests are unavoidable when it comes to tournaments conducted by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) or the International Cricket Council (ICC).
"When multinational tournaments are organised by ACC or ICC, it becomes a compulsion, a necessity for nations to participate. 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... 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," Thakur stated.
India and Pakistan might face each other twice more in the Asia Cup 2025, provided both teams make it to the Super 4s and final.
The Men in Blue registered a commanding nine-wicket victory in their Asia Cup opener against the UAE on Wednesday (September 10). On the other hand, the Men in Green kicked off their campaign with an emphatic 93-run win over Oman on Friday (September 12).