&w=3840&q=100)
Former India captain calls for complete boycott of cricket with Pakistan: 'Can't be played in the shadow of...'
After the tragic Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, there are fresh calls for India to completely cut cricket ties with Pakistan, including matches at ICC and ACC tournaments. Former India captain is the latest to join the bandwagon. read more
Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin has said that India should completely cut all cricket ties with Pakistan. His strong comments come after the recent terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir's Pahalgam, which sadly took the lives of 26 innocent people and injured several others.
Speaking during an interaction at Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital, Azharuddin said that India should not only continue its policy of not playing bilateral series against Pakistan but should also refuse to play Pakistan even in the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments. Most recently, India played against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Azharuddin wants India to cut cricket ties with Pakistan
Describing the recent Pahalgam attack as 'very, very sad,' Azharuddin said the nation is hurting and that cricket cannot be played when such tragedies are happening. 'Cricket is a sport that unites, but it cannot be played in the shadow of such tragedies,' he said.
Azharuddin also spoke about the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is currently underway. He said that stopping the IPL in the middle would not be practical. However, he praised the BCCI's decision to honor the victims by having players wear black armbands during matches. He said it was a 'good part' of showing support and solidarity with the grieving families.
India stopped playing bilateral cricket with Pakistan after the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) agreed to restart playing against each other in 2012 with a short series of three ODIs and two T20Is. But after that, India and Pakistan have only faced each other in multi-team tournaments held by the ICC or ACC.
Pahalgam terror attack
The Pahalgam attack happened recently in Jammu & Kashmir and left the whole country shocked and heartbroken. In this terrible incident, terrorists opened fire on innocent tourists who had gone there for vacation. As per reports, the terrorists killed those people after confirming their religion and asking them to recite Kalma.
The attack has been strongly condemned across India, with political leaders, celebrities, and the general public expressing their anger and sadness. Many have called for tough action against those responsible. Reports suggest the group that attacked the tourists consisted of Pakistani nationals too.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
32 minutes ago
- India.com
After losing the IPL 2025 final to RCB, partner of Preity Zinta makes a special request to BCCI for.....
The 18th edition of the IPL concluded recently, in which Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) created history by winning the title for the first time. Viewership records were broken this season and the brand value of the league also reached new heights. The brand value of the IPL is increasing with every season and at present it has become the second most valuable league in the world after America's NFL. However, the gap between NFL and IPL is still quite big. Punjab Kings co-owner Mohit Burman has suggested that the IPL window be extended from 3 to 4 months (12-16 weeks). He said that other big leagues like the NFL (4.5 months), Premier League (9 months) and NBA (7 months) run for a longer period, giving them an advantage in brand building and fan engagement. In a conversation with PTI, Mohit Burman said, 'We are second after NFL in value per match, but we are still behind in total brand value. If we want to get there, we need a window of 12-16 weeks.' Burman further said, 'Longer window will give us a chance to tell better stories, increase competition and create more value for fans, broadcasters and sponsors. Just increasing the time will not do anything, during that time we will also have to focus on content, fan engagement and off-season planning.' At present, 10 teams play 74 matches and the tournament gets a window of 9-10 weeks. But there is news that from 2028, the number of matches in IPL can be increased to 94, although the number of teams will not increase. This proposed plan will allow every team to play an equal number of home and away matches, which will automatically increase the league window. However, it is not possible to implement it before 2028 as the schedule till 2027 is already fixed.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Bengaluru stampede: ‘Action against police looks like scapegoating,' Indian Police Foundation tells Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
The Indian Police Foundation (IPF) – a group representing retired police personnel – has asked the Karnataka government to reinstate the police officers who have been suspended in the wake of the Bengaluru stampede. Eleven people died after a stampede occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the Karnataka capital during the victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL). In a letter addressed to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, the IPF stated, 'The suspension of five police officers, including the Commissioner of Police, prior to the completion of a detailed investigation, has raised serious concerns within the professional policing community across the country. Actions taken without establishing individual responsibility would be seen as scapegoating rather than principled accountability and may have a demoralising effect on the entire police force, while undermining institutional integrity.' 'In the spirit of constructive engagement, the Indian Police Foundation offers to support the Government by conducting a Post-Incident Review and Analysis. This would be a non-adversarial, independent exercise, not intended for fault-finding, but focused on identifying systemic gaps, good practices, and actionable lessons to guide police operations and training. The IPF has in its membership a distinguished team of former DGPs, former civil servants, senior police leaders, forensic scientists, public safety experts, and academics who can undertake this exercise with neutrality, sensitivity, and professionalism,' the letter added. A day after the Bengaluru stampede, the state government had suspended Bengaluru Commissioner of Police B Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Vikash Kumar Vikash, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar, ACP (Cubbon Park sub-division) C Balakrishna, and police inspector Girish A K on Thursday. Besides the Opposition, social media users have also flooded the government with requests to reinstate Dayananda.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Viswanathan Anand Is Back! Will Play In World Rapid And Blitz Team Championship
Last Updated: Viswanathan Anand will compete in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championship. Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will compete for the Freedom team, led by FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky, in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championship starting in Dusseldorf, Germany. Anand is the only Indian player on his team. The WR Chess team, considered the favourites, will be led by Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi on the top board, as the world's number one player, Magnus Carlsen, has withdrawn from the tournament. Arjun Erigaisi will play on the top board for his team, supported by P Harikrishna on the second board. They will represent the SG Alpine Warriors team. World junior champion V Pranav is a valuable addition to the SG Alpine Warriors, along with Luke Leon Mendonca, tipped as a future star of Indian chess, following the rise of world champion D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and Aravindh Chithambaram. Nihal Sarin will also compete, representing the fifth-seeded Ashdod Elite Chess Club. Both Nihal and Anand will play as the top seeds on their respective boards, as will Arjun Erigaisi. However, the event will be without Carlsen and Gukesh, who have both opted out. The WR Chess team is the top contender for the title, boasting players like Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Wesley So. Each round must include a female player and a player rated below 2200 on the FIDE rating list as of 1 June, adding a compelling dynamic to the tournament. The event offers substantial prize money, with the winners of the rapid and blitz competitions receiving USD 110,000 and USD 75,000 respectively. The previous edition was highly successful, due in large part to Carlsen's participation. The prospects of the Indian team, SG Alpine Warriors, rest heavily on Arjun Erigaisi's performance. First Published: June 09, 2025, 20:59 IST
