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Amid rising India–Pakistan tensions, Rizwan says Kohli is like family, urges not to mix sports with politics
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan is hopeful that the cricketing relations between India and Pakistan will not be impacted by the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam region. The terrorist attack on the Indian territory last month resulted in a loss of 26 lives.
The already strained relationship between India and Pakistan has worsened following the attack. Cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) has become increasingly frequent, while India has responded with non-military measures such as suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and revoking the visas of Pakistani nationals residing in the country.
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Cricket, meanwhile, has become a centre of attraction with former India captain Sourav Ganguly and fans urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to cut all cricketing ties with Pakistan. However, the only thing the BCCI has said so far is that India will continue to boycott the bilateral tournaments with Pakistan.
Rizwan reacts to Pahalgam attack, says Kohli is like family
Amid the growing tensions, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Rizwan, who is currently captaining Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, has said that the players from India, like Virat Kohli, are part of his cricketing family and he hopes politics is not brought into sport.
'Firstly, I don't know what's happening between the two countries because I don't have time to use social media,' Rizwan was quoted as saying by A Sports.
'Secondly, whenever I meet our cricketing family, which features top players like Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Joe Root, we meet like brothers and learn a lot from each other. I'll just say that politics should not be brought into sport.'
It's worth noting that India and Pakistan only face each other in International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments and Asian Cricket Council competitions. There will be no men's ICC tournament in 2025 anymore but India and Pakistan are scheduled to play against each other in the 2025 Women's World Cup.
It will be interesting to see if BCCI decides to boycott that game, however, it will not be easy, as a boycott could result in losing valuable points in the tournament.
As far as men's cricket is concerned, India and Pakistan could face each other in the Asia Cup T20 2025. However, the schedule is still not out.
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