India vs Pakistan: Asia Cup Clash Amidst Political Controversy

By Surabhi Gupta

New Delhi: Dubai prepares itself for the much-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan during the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup. The game to be played on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium comes amid the backdrop of political tension, gloom, and widespread debate across the country following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 innocent civilians in April this year.

On the eve of the match, former India captain Kapil Dev captured the excitement and pride surrounding India's preparations.

"I like to say good luck to the Indian Cricket Team. The way they played, I have never seen anybody finishing the game in five overs," Kapil told reporters, referring to India’s nine-wicket victory against UAE in their opening match.

India chased 58 runs just 27 balls, courtesy Abhishek Sharma (30 off 16) and Shubman Gill (20* off 9), after Kuldeep Yadav (4/7) and Shivam Dube (3/7) skittled the opposition for just 57. Pakistan also started with a comfortable 93-run win over Oman.

However political voices in India are urging restraint, or outright boycott. The Pahalgam attack was followed by Operation Sindoor launched by Indian forces in May.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray described the fixture as "an insult to national sentiments". "Boycotting the Asia Cup match is an opportunity to convey to the world our stance on terrorism," he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said every time there is a match between India and Pakistan, the incidents of Pahalgam and Pulwama are forgotten.

"For Diljit's (Dosanjh) film, stop it, stop it, it is a traitor to the country and (not for the) match because son of the big boss is involved it, he is the president of ICC, BCCI also sees the same, then everything will be fine. Then they forget this Pahalgam, then they forget Pulwama," Mann said as he lashed out at ICC Chairperson Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also lashed out at the Centre as India is set to play Pakistan. "What is the need for the Prime Minister to host a game against Pakistan. The entire country is against this match. Then why is this match taking place? Is this being done under pressure from USA President Donald Trump? How much you will bow down before Donald Trump," Kejriwal said.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said blood and sport cannot go together. He also said whichever clubs in Delhi will telecast the game, his party would boycott them.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), representing 36 entertainment industry associations, wrote directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand a halt to the game's telecast.

The letter described the match as "an affront to the memory of our martyrs" and warned against sending "a confusing message of normalcy with a country that continues to sponsor violence against our people."

"Behind every martyr and innocent victim are mourning families whose lives have been forever shattered. The sacrifices made by our soldiers cannot and must not be forgotten or overlooked," it said.

Numbers Game

CricViz, a cricket analytics platform, has released several intriguing insights:

1. Kuldeep Yadav has taken 15 wickets in just seven ODIs against Pakistan, conceding at an economy of under 4 runs per over. However, this will be his first T20I against Pakistan, if he makes the playing XI.

2. India holds the edge in T20Is, winning 10 out of 13 matches against Pakistan.

3. Pakistan’s T20I record in Dubai is stronger, with victories in two out of their three matches there.

4. In the ongoing T20 World Cup cycle, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have each maintained a strike rate of over 200 against spin.