WEBDESK: Senior Indian journalist Ravish Kumar has strongly criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and captain Suryakumar Yadav. The criticism came after Yadav avoided shaking hands with Pakistan’s captain during the Asia Cup and made political remarks.
In a statement, Kumar asked whether refusing a handshake could be considered part of sportsmanship. He said players are there to play matches, earn from tickets, and entertain the public, not mislead them. He questioned whether Yadav could have made such a statement without support from either the BCCI or the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Kumar added that Yadav’s behaviour showed how politics had deeply entered cricket. He compared the situation to India’s mainstream media, saying cricket too was now being used for political narratives.
He further asked whether ICC officials would allow Pakistani or Palestinian captains to make political statements during matches, such as on Gaza, without action being taken.
On the other hand Pakistan is planning a strong and strict response after International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected its demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft.
Sources revealed that in its response to Pakistan, ICC said it is willing to remove Pycroft from Pakistan matches but not from the entire Asia Cup 2025 fixture.
However, PCB has decided to strictly respond as a high level meeting is underway in Islamabad with senior government official in attendance.
Sources further said that the strict response can include boycotting the Asia Cup 2025 tournament.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier dismissed reports from media claiming that the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected its demand.
The PCB clarified that no such response has been received from the ICC. The board said that the reports being circulated in Indian media are “baseless and without foundation.”
Read more: Pakistan plans strong response after ICC ‘rejects’ its referee removal demand
