Former BCCI president and batting great Sourav Ganguly on Monday side-stepped the debate surrounding Indian players' refusal to shake hands with Pakistani cricketers after their Asia Cup clash in Dubai but said terrorism must end "all around the world, not just India and Pakistan."
India won by seven wickets in the match that faced boycott calls on social media with the BCCI drawing heavy criticism for agreeing to the engagement in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
"Terror must stop, that's most important, all around the world, not just India and Pakistan. You've seen so many things happening, so that also must stop. But sports also cannot stop. Terror has to stop all around the world," Ganguly said while launching his ethnic brand 'Souragya' here ahead of the Durga Puja festivities.
Traditionally seen as a marquee contest, cricket's big showpiece was a subdued affair on Sunday with empty stands at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium reflecting the tense atmosphere.
On the field, India sealed a clinical win, extending their dominance over their arch-rivals in the last decade but the post-match scene was dominated by controversy.
The Indian players collectively refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts to show solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam attack. Pakistan lodged a formal complaint calling the act "unsporting".
Ganguly did not offer any comment on the issue.
"You will have to ask Suryakumar Yadav, he has to answer. I'm too far, launching my ethnic brand. He's also answered it... Everyone has their own side of the story, that's what it is," he said.
I would rather watch India-Afghanistan
Turning to cricket, Ganguly was blunt in his assessment of Pakistan's decline and said he would rather watch an India-Afghanistan match.
"Pakistan are no match. I say that with respect, it's just because I've seen their team was. It's the lack of quality in the side," he said.
"This team has played without (Virat) Kohli and Rohit (Sharma), who were the two stalwarts of Indian cricket for such a long period of time," Ganguly said.
"India are too far ahead in cricket for Pakistan and any of these Asia Cup teams. There will be one or two days when they get beaten, but the majority of days they (India) would be the best team." The former skipper also admitted he was not surprised by the one-sided contest.
"I am actually not surprised by what I saw. I actually stopped watching after the first 15 overs and started watching Manchester United and Man City (in English Premier League)," he quipped.
"There is no competition between India and Pakistan anymore. I always say, we think of Pakistan as Waqar Younises, Wasim Akrams, the Saeed Anwars and Javed Miandads. But that's not the case with this modern-day Pakistan it's now like chalk and cheese.
"There is no competition. I would rather watch India play Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka or even Afghanistan. I don't think India and Pakistan are a contest anymore. We keep hyping it and for the last five years every hype has been shattered. It's been one-way traffic," Ganguly concluded.
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