Cricket Fans Divided Over India-Pakistan Clash in Asia Cup 2025
Cricket lovers from Vadodara and Ahmedabad are buzzing with mixed feelings about the high-stakes India vs Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025. Set for Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, this game marks the first international showdown between the two rivals since the tragic Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor. While opposition voices pushed hard for a boycott, the Indian government gave the green light for the team to compete in multi-nation events like this one.
In Vadodara, fan Mohit didn’t hold back. "We should boycott this India-Pakistan match completely," he told . "It’s just wrong to play against a country that attacked and killed our people." His friend Rana echoed the sentiment, drawing from Prime Minister Modi’s words. "Blood and water can’t flow together, and neither should this cricket match," Rana said. "We’re boycotting it—we don’t want to watch."
But not everyone agrees. Over in Ahmedabad, one passionate cricket enthusiast argued that sports deserve a separate space from politics. "The India vs Pakistan game should go ahead," he said. "Sports and war are totally different. We shouldn’t mix them, and we’ll definitely tune in to watch." On the flip side, another Ahmedabad fan, Ashgar Ali, sided with the boycott call. "After such a big incident in our country, how can we play cricket against them? We need to skip this one entirely."
The India-Pakistan rivalry always delivers drama, especially in T20 cricket. In 13 T20I meetings, India holds a strong 9-3 edge. Pakistan’s last win came in the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai, but India turned the tables in their most recent clash at the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York. Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliant spell sealed a thrilling six-run victory for India when Pakistan looked set to win.
Across the Asia Cup history, the two teams have faced off 19 times in ODI and T20 formats. India leads with 10 wins, Pakistan has six, and three matches got washed out.
As the excitement builds for this Asia Cup 2025 India vs Pakistan fixture, fans can’t stop talking about the boycott debate and what it means for cricket diplomacy. Here’s a quick look at the squads gearing up for the action:
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan Squad: Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.
Will the match live up to the hype, or will emotions run too high? Stay tuned as cricket fans worldwide await this epic Asia Cup encounter.
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