Danish Kaneria shares his view on India vs Pakistan boycott rift: The India vs Pakistan 2026 T20 World Cup game is under the clouds after Pakistan on Sunday refused to play against Suryakumar Yadav’s side at the major event. This decision came during their government confirmation for participation in the World Cup scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka. The Pakistan government released a statement on the following matter last night.
After this, there has been chaos in the cricketing fraternity, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) reportedly having a high-emergency meeting in 48 hours to discuss Pakistan’s selective participation. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to comment on the reports until the ICC takes any action. Danish Kaneria, via his YouTube channel, shared his views on the ongoing rift.
‘This decision was completely unexpected’- Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria said, “This decision was completely unexpected. No one was expecting that Pakistan would refuse to play against India in the World Cup. It’s hard to understand why this boycott happened. Earlier, Pakistan had requested not to play in India when the T20 World Cup was scheduled in India and Sri Lanka. That was understandable. The ICC then arranged all of Pakistan’s matches in Sri Lanka, and even the India vs Pakistan match was set to be played in Sri Lanka, not India.”
“So the logic behind boycotting now makes no sense. People will feel Pakistan are scared of facing India, which is why they are refusing to play. In recent years, Pakistan have lost to India several times, and this decision by the Pakistan government could end up harming their own cricket more than anyone else.”
Danish Kaneria believes politics should be out of the game
Danish Kaneria further added, “The India–Pakistan rivalry that once existed is no longer the same. That rivalry has been fading for years. Even in the last World Cup, the hype was nowhere near what it used to be. The reason is simple: Pakistan is no longer playing that brand of cricket that India plays.
“Keep politics away from cricket. Bringing politics into the game only harms players, fans, and the next generation. This will cause long-term damage to Pakistan cricket and to the young generation. In Pakistan, cricket is the only major sport that truly unites people. If you bring politics into cricket like this, it will harm the future of the game there.”
Pakistan Cricket is in danger
The India vs Pakistan match generates double the revenue of any other game in the major ICC tournament. There might be sanctions if Pakistan does not comply with the fixtures and boycotts the game. They might be facing bans, and big teams might not travel to play bilateral series against them. There might be docking of the World Test Championship points as well.
The PCB has yet to provide an official statement to the ICC regarding the announcement made by the Pakistan government. The ICC stated in a release that it has taken note of the Pakistani government’s statement about the decision to direct its national team to compete selectively in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Also Read: Rajeev Shukla joins forces with ICC to crush Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan amid T20 World Cup drama
