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Ravi Shastri on whether India should play Pakistan in World Cup or not
India head coach Ravi Shastri on Friday said that they will follow the orders of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the government in the matter.
As the chorus grows for boycotting the India-Pakistan World Cup match, India head coach Ravi Shastri on Friday said that they will follow the orders of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the government in the matter.
“It’s entirely left to the BCCI and the government. They know exactly what is happening and they will take a call. We will go by what they decide. If the government says it’s that sensitive you do not need to play the World Cup, I will go by my government,” Shastri told Mirror Now.
There have been growing demands that India should boycott its clash with Pakistan during the World Cup starting May 30 in England, as a mark of protest against the Pulwama terror attack in which nearly 40 CRPF personnel were killed and was claimed by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
The Committee of Administrators (CoA) running Indian cricket on Friday decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan but said it would individually urge ICC members to “sever ties with any nation that is a terrorist hub”.
ALSO READ: BCCI writes to ICC about concern over Pulwama attack, no decision yet on Ind-Pak tie
In a meeting to address the spiralling speculation around the match, the CoA deliberated on the matter but did not take any position for now. “We are in talks with the government. No decision has been taken on the June 16 match,” CoA chief Vinod Rai told reporters after the meeting.
“We are expressing two concerns to the ICC. We will ask for more protection for players during the World Cup and we will tell cricketing nations to severe ties with any nation that is a terrorist hub,” he added. There were reports that the CoA and the BCCI might approach the ICC seeking Pakistan’s ouster from the mega-event in England that starts on May 30.
However, even such a move is unlikely to make any difference as there is no provision in the world body’s regulations that allow one member to seek the ouster of another.
(With inputs from agencies)
