Till terrorism stops, India should not play cricket with Pakistan: Gautam Gambhir

India head coach Gautam Gambhir said that India should not play any cricket matches against Pakistan following the terror attack in Pahalgam. The India head coach said on Monday, May 5 that cricket should only resume once the situation improves and justice is served.

The attack on April 22 in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, most of them tourists. Since then, India has started to cut ties with Pakistan in several areas. Gambhir has now added his voice, asking for a complete stop to cricket matches between the two countries—even in ICC tournaments.

Speaking at an ABP event in New Delhi, Gambhir said India must not play against Pakistan until terrorism ends and action is taken. His views were in line with those of BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, who recently said there will never be any bilateral cricket with Pakistan.

"My personal answer to this is absolutely no. Till all this (cross-border terrorism) doesn't stop there should not be anything between India and Pakistan. Ultimately this is government's call whether we play them or not. I have said this before also, no cricket match or Bollywood or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens," Gambhir



said.

"Matches will keep happening, movies will be made, singers will continue to perform but nothing comes close to losing a loved one in your family," he added.

Still, Gambhir made it clear that he will respect whatever decision the Indian government and BCCI take, especially when it comes to the upcoming Asia Cup, where India might have to face Pakistan.

"This is not up to me, this is for BCCI and more importantly the government to decide whether we should play them or not. Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it," he added.

The Pahalgam attack was reportedly carried out by The Resistance Front, a group linked to the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Many have called it one of the worst attacks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It also brought back memories of the 2019 Pulwama tragedy.

The Indian government and world leaders have strongly condemned the attack. The cricket world has also reacted. India legend Sunil Gavaskar said it’s too early to say whether India and Pakistan will meet in future ICC events. He also suggested that Pakistan might not even be allowed take part in the Asia Cup, which is being held in India and Sri Lanka.