Ever since the Asia Cup 2025 schedule was announced in July, the BCCI has faced significant criticism for agreeing to play against Pakistan as the tensions between two nations are at an all-time high following the Pahalgam terror attack and retaliatory Operation Sindoor.

The arch-rivals are all set to square off on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium in a Group A fixture.

There’s massive backlash among fans against the Indian board as well as players for not pulling out of the Pakistan match in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead.

Amid the criticism, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has emphasized that the team is simply following BCCI and government directives.

Notably, BCCI’s stand to face the traditional 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".

“Well, at the end of the day, it’s the government that makes the call. Whatever decision the government takes, the players and the BCCI have to follow, and that’s exactly what has happened. It doesn’t matter what we personally think; ultimately, it’s the government’s decision, and that’s what is being implemented in this instance,” Gavaskar said while speaking to India Today.

India and Pakistan might face each other twice more in the ongoing Asia Cup, 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).

India squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Pakistan squad for Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Muqeem.