Fielding coach Ryan Ten Doeschate stated on Saturday that although the Indian players are aware of the public’s disapproval of their Asia Cup match against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, head coach Gautam Gambhir has instructed them to concentrate on the crucial match during a team meeting.
The Indian government has prohibited any bilateral interaction in sports but let the national team to compete against Pakistan in international competitions such as the World Cup and Asia Cup.
“We obviously are aware of the sentiments and the strong feelings. And Gauti’s (Gambhir) message has just been very professional, about not worrying about things that are not in our control,” Ten Doeschate revealed in the pre-match press conference, in Dubai.
“I have no doubt the players share the compassion and feeling of the vast majority of the Indian public. The Asia Cup was in limbo for a long period of time and we were just waiting,” he said.
At an ABP Conclave, Gambhir had expressed his personal belief that till terror incidents ceased, there should be no sporting interactions with the neighbors. Calls to boycott the game have been made, and the Sunday match has received harsh criticism on social media.
According to Ten Doeschate, Gambhir requested players to abide by the government’s and BCCI’s directive on sporting links with Pakistan during a team meeting that addressed the public’s sentiment.
“We didn’t think we were going to be coming at one stage. But obviously, you know what the government stance is. Now the team, particularly the players, have to put their sentiments and emotions behind. It’s actually something we addressed in the team meeting today,” the Dutch coach revealed.
At international events, such as the Olympics, sports have frequently been utilized as a platform for protest. Ten Doeschate was asked if the squad would be taking any action to express its opinion.
“I guess the other side of the argument is that you separate sports from politics and people have got different opinions on that. Hopefully, the way we play can represent how we feel about the country,” he reasoned.
Ten Doeschate restated batting coach Sitanshu Kotak’s earlier remarks regarding only adhering to the BCCI and government directives in this regard.
“I understand the position and, like I explained, the sentiment, but we are following the direction of what the BCCI and the Indian government have decided is right for the country at the moment.”
When asked whether the group has been shielded from the outside noise, Ten Doeschate said, “…once we knew we were going to be here and playing, we have tried to get on with it. Just trying to be emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things.
“The guys are professional enough now. I’m sure individuals have different levels of feelings on the spectrum of where they feel the whole situation is. But the messaging has been to just focus on the cricket and try to just focus on the one game tomorrow.”
Following the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 tourists were shot dead by terrorists supported by Pakistan, Gambhir was questioned a few months ago about whether it was acceptable to play with Pakistan.
India had to conduct Operation Sindoor to dismantle Pakistan’s terror infrastructure as a result of the horrific occurrence.
Gambhir had previously declared that he would be forced to take the government’s side on the issue even if he opposed the idea of having sporting ties with Pakistan.
“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,” he had stated.
“…No cricket match, Bollywood movie, or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens.”
Using the Olympic Charter, which forbids discrimination on the basis of political beliefs, the government has refused to cancel multilateral athletic events with Pakistan.
India wants to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympics, and a successful bid depends on adherence to the Charter.
