Sourav Ganguly erupts over PCB’s India boycott threat: 'Backing out of a World Cup for what?'

Sourav Ganguly also backed India’s aggressive batting approach in the T20 World Cup, despite their batting collapse against the USA

Updated on: Feb 8, 2026, 23:11:16 IST

Written by Aratrick Mondal

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, on Sunday, lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for threatening to forfeit their T20 World Cup Group A clash against India, saying he couldn’t wrap his head around the logic behind the move.

Former India Captain Sourav Ganguly inspecting the pitch during a practice session at Eden Gardens, in Kolkata on Friday (Sudipta Banerjee )

Following a directive from the Government of Pakistan, the PCB decided to boycott the match in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were removed from the tournament after the ICC declined their request to move group-stage matches out of India citing security concerns. Bangladesh were subsequently replaced by Scotland.

After days of international discussions, during which PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi even met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government barred Pakistan’s players from taking the field against India in the scheduled February 15 match in Colombo.

Pakistan decision on India T20 World Cup match LIVE Updates

“Backing out of a World Cup for what? They are playing in Sri Lanka anyway. I am surprised Pakistan are backing out. In a World Cup, every point is important,” Ganguly said on the sidelines of the BPCL auction.

Meanwhile, the ICC and PCB have begun negotiations after the latter wrote to the governing body requesting the invocation of the ‘Force Majeure’ clause to boycott the game. ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja reached Lahore on Sunday for talks with Naqvi, which will also be attended by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam.

Ganguly also backed India’s aggressive batting approach in the T20 World Cup, despite their collapse in the tournament opener against the USA on Saturday in Mumbai.

“That’s what T20 cricket is — you have to keep hitting,” he said. “They are very good players and have been doing this for a long time. There will be games where things don’t come off because they are human beings.”

“This is a very powerful team — strong in batting, bowling, spin and fielding. As the World Cup progresses, they will only get better. Once you get into the tournament, the rhythm comes back. I consider India favourites, and they will be very hard to beat.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aratrick Mondal
Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports. He has extensively covered India's evolving cricket landscape, the country's new-found love for private leagues such as Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKK), Rugby Premier League (RPL) and several tennis leagues. He has closely covered emerging sports such as pickleball. His coverage of major franchise events lends an atmospheric flavor to his ground reports. His recent story on how SA20 (the domestic cricket league of South Africa) had opened up its grounds to create a carnival-like fan experience garnered major international attention, including appreciation from major cricketers. Tennis holds a special place in his heart. Aratrick has built a strong niche in analytical tennis stories—ranging from Grand Slam narratives and player profiles to tactical breakdowns and ranking trends. His long-form features often decode grand slams, career highs and lows of tennis greats and the upward trajectory of emerging stars. He also closely follows India's tennis landscape, having covered the Davis Cup, Bengaluru Open and Tata Open, among others. His reporting is backed by strong data capabilities, with hands-on experience using tools like Python, Tableau, and Excel to produce visually rich, insight-led stories. This data-first approach enhances accuracy, transparency, and trust. In leadership roles, he has managed editorial shifts, overseen homepage strategy, optimised SEO workflows, and mentored peers to deliver consistent, high-traffic journalism. He recently won the HT DigiStar award for the third quarter of financial year 2025-26. Aratrick is trusted for his balanced reportage, sound sourcing, and ability to translate complex sporting events into engaging narratives that speak to a wide audience. He believes sports is for everyone, not just for the enthusiasts and has a unique ability to bring people together - just like the sumptuous meals you'll often find him cooking on a weekend evening.Read More

Get live cricket scores, match updates, schedules, results and ICC rankings. Follow the latest news, statistics and performances of top teams and players on Hindustan Times.