This match should not be played: Former all-rounder Kedar Jadhav on India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], September 14 (ANI): Former all-rounder and BJP leader Kedar Jadhav personally isn't in favour of India squaring off against Pakistan at the ongoing Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.

The anger over India facing Pakistan in the tournament stems from the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, during which 26 tourists were killed on April 22 by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. The emotions around the contest are mixed, and there have been calls to boycott the fixture against Pakistan.

Like former batter Manoj Tiwary, Jadhav voiced his opinion that India should not contest in the fixture and said while speaking to reporters, "I don't know what will happen, but I have already said that, according to me, this match should not be played."

During the buildup to the clash between the two rivals, fans have taken to social media and declared that they won't be tuning in to watch the rivalry. To address the issue, the Indian Government devised a policy regarding sports events involving Pakistan last month.

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.

India kicked off its campaign at the Asia Cup on Wednesday with a landslide 9-wicket victory over the UAE. The spin magic, especially from left-armer Kuldeep Yadav, worked wonders as the UAE were left bamboozled and packed their bags on 57, the second-lowest total of the tournament's history. In reply, India gunned down the target in a mere 4.3 overs to begin its journey with flying colours.

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 Moqim. (ANI)

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