Sunday’s clash against Pakistan will not be just another match.
Besides the usual pressure of a contest involving the two arch-rivals, it will be their first since Operation Sindoor. Amid widespread calls to boycott any sporting action with Pakistan, the players will have to tread cautiously between emotion and professionalism.
The mood in Dubai is sombre given the current geopolitical situation and the Indians are trying to stay focused on the task at hand. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said on Friday that they were merely following BCCI and the government’s directives.
“Once the BCCI said they are aligned with the government, we are here to prepare and we are here to play. It will be a competitive game. An India-Pakistan game is always a competitive game. So, we would rather focus on that,” Kotak said.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate spoke on similar lines a day later. Head coach Gautam Gambhir’s call to “focus on cricket” was echoed by Ten Doeschate.
“It is a very sensitive issue. Players feel the emotion and sentiments of the public. This is what we have discussed at the team meetings. Players are here to play cricket. We are following government instructions,” Ten Doeschate said.
“Our thing is, you separate sports and politics. I understand the sentiment but we are following directives of BCCI and the government. We are going by what the government and BCCI told us.
“Knowing this will happen was the most frustrating part. Gauti’s message is to not focus on things not in your control. Message is to focus on cricket,” he said.
Gambhir himself had taken a much harder line earlier. At an event in New Delhi following the Pahalgam terror attack, he had said: “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 the government’s decision whether we play them or not...No cricket match, Bollywood movie,
or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens.”
The build-up to the match has been without the usual fervour with several thousand tickets still remaining unsold. Even a handshake between Suryakumar Yadav and PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi at the captains’ press conference was debated and met with hate and vitriol on social media.
This kind of scrutiny has already kept the players cautious ahead of the clash.
