Pakistan cricket need to play India to survive: Former cricketer Atul Wassan on Asia Cup clash

Gurugram (Haryana) [India], September 13 (ANI): Former cricketer Atul Wassan weighed in on the backlash surrounding the India-Pakistan clash at the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday and said contesting in the fixture is a "necessary evil." He cited the repercussions India could face if it withdraws from the fixture, and impacts the nation's aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics.

Wassan's remarks come amid the outrage over India facing Pakistan in the tournament after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, during which 26 tourists were killed on April 22 by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists in the name of religion.

To address the issue, the Indian Government reformed its policy regarding sports events involving Pakistan. The government announced that the Indian athletes and teams will be allowed to participate in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. However, India will continue to abstain from participating in competitions in Pakistan and will not participate in any bilateral competition.

Wassan invoked the recent policy to explain that India's decision to feature in the fixture is strategic. While expressing his personal belief, Wassan doesn't see the need to face their neighbouring rival. While looking at the other side of the coin, Wassan feels the Pakistan cricket team and its board will cease to exist if India completely refrains from playing against them, irrespective of the tournament.

"I thought for two months. I thought India would never play Pakistan. But such a situation has arisen... when we have to bid for the Olympics, and there are a lot of permutations going on in other games, because of which this match is taking place. It is the good luck of Pakistan cricket because Pakistan cricket and the Pakistan board need to play India to survive. India doesn't care. If you look at it from the point of view of the country, then we should have nothing to do with Pakistan," Wassan told ANI.

Last month, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of prioritising financial gains by not boycotting the clash. Wassan debunked the theory and doesn't see money as the underlying factor behind the BCCI's engagement in a fixture against Pakistan.

"It's the Prime Minister's decision, it's the government's decision, that the match should take place in multinationals. Because it has other connections, so they are not just promoting cricket; I think it's a backlash against the BCCI for making money, etc. It has nothing to do with money. It's a greater method to the madness. So I think they should understand, according to that, the match should take place. This is a necessary evil," he added.

After the captain's press conference on Tuesday in Dubai, India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav was lampooned for shaking hands with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Agha and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the nation's interior minister. Wassan urged the players to avoid engaging in such niceties and send a message that they are here on a job, even after not being interested in it.

"Just snuff them, I say to the players, don't smile, don't acknowledge, don't shake hands, don't applaud. Just do your job because we have to do it. We don't want to play with you. But we will play, because we need more positives," he said.

While looking at the dynamics of the fixture, Wassan sees India emerging triumphant even if they field their 'B' side, courtesy of the depth of the nation's cricket. He doesn't see Pakistan in the list of teams that can challenge India and expects the Sunday contest to end up in a one-sided affair.

"Our team is better. I say, India's B team will easily defeat Pakistan. But anything can happen in T20. But this is a proven fact that we are much superior in cricket. So they can change their players, do something. But the depth of our Indian cricket is much more. Our ecosystem is better. So I think, this should be a one-sided game as well," he said.

"If you are playing, it's not a competition. I think there are many countries, Australia, England, South Africa, and a few other countries, which give India a fight. Pakistan is not in that fight," he concluded. (ANI)

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