“Khoon or pani ek sath”- Harbhajan Singh Demands BCCI Boycott Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025
Harbhajan Singh criticises BCCI for agreeing to play Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025, says nation must come before cricket.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has strongly criticised the BCCI for agreeing to play Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, set to begin in the UAE from September 9. His remarks come amid growing calls to boycott the match following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.
India and Pakistan have been drawn in Group A and are set to meet on September 14 in the league stage. They could face each other again in the Super Four and possibly in the final. Harbhajan, however, believes cricket should take a back seat under current circumstances.
“They need to understand what is important and what is not. For me, the soldier who stands on the border, whose family often doesn’t get to see him, who sometimes sacrifices his life and never returns home, their sacrifice is immense. Compared to that, skipping one cricket match is a very small matter,” Harbhajan told TOI.
‘Blood and sweat cannot co-exist’
The former cricketer stressed that tensions on the border should mean no cricket between the two nations. “It cannot be the case that there’s fighting on the border and we go to play cricket. Until these big issues are resolved, cricket is a very small matter. The nation always comes first.”
The Asia Cup 2025 schedule was finalised during an ACC meeting in Dhaka on July 24, attended virtually by BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla.
Harbhajan, who took over 400 Test wickets, urged the board to prioritise the country above the sport.
“Whatever our identity is, it’s because of this country. No one is bigger than the nation. Not playing a cricket match is nothing compared to the importance of the nation.”
