Indian Batting Coach Sitanshu Kotak Responds To Boycott Calls Ahead Of Pakistan Clash
The Indian team assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak opens up on the upcoming India vs. Pakistan clash, which is all set to take place on September 14, Sunday, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. With the clash coming closer, the noise regarding boycotting the game is increasing day by day, as Indian fans are not pleased by the decision of the team to play against Pakistan after the horrific Pahalgam attack a few months ago.
BCCI is getting a lot of criticism for their move of letting the team play against Pakistan despite hurting national sentiments. Before the start of the Asia Cup 2025, the Indian government made a policy stating that the team will be playing against Pakistan in multilateral events.
In the Pahalgam attack, around 26 innocent people lost their lives; after that, India launched Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir). Many believed that India wouldn't be playing against Pakistan in the tournament, but everyone became shocked when the schedule of the Asia Cup 2025 was released.
Team India might face Pakistan three times in the tournament. The stage match will take place on Sunday, and then they will be in the Super 4s and might be in the final if they go this far.
Talking about the India vs. Pakistan clash, Kotak stated that currently his team's focus is to do their job rather than listen to the outside noise.
He said,
"Once we are here to play, we are focused on playing cricket. I personally don't think there is anything on my mind apart from playing cricket. That is what we are focusing on."
Further, he said,
"I think for players and us, once the BCCI says so and they are aligned with the government, we are here to prepare and play. It will be a competitive game. India versus Pakistan is always competitive, so we would rather focus on that."
Now it will be interesting to see what will be the result in the upcoming India vs. Pakistan clash, which is all set to take place on September 14, Sunday.