India vs Pakistan in Asia Cup: 'Humare jawaan ghar wapas nahi aate, aur hum cricket khelne chale jaate hain'

India vs Pakistan cricket players (X)

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It cannot be the case that there’s fighting on the border, tensions between the two nations, and we go to play cricket. Until these big issues are resolved, cricket is a very small matter Harbhajan Singh

Poll Should India boycott Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup? Yes, for the sake of national integrity No, sports should be separate from politics Only if the government decides Unsure

"Khoon aur paani ek saath nahi beh sakte. Hum unko itni importance kyun dete hain? [Why do we give them so much importance?]," legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh didn’t mince words when asked if India should boycott Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup , scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 9.Harbhajan was part of the recently concluded World Championship of Legends (WCL), where India Champions refused to play Pakistan Champions in the group stage and the semi-final. The squad — featuring stalwarts like Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina , and Yusuf Pathan — took this stand in the wake of the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack For Harbhajan, “nation comes first,” and he believes the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team should refuse to play the neighbours."They need to understand what is important and what is not. This is as simple as that. For me, humare desh ka wo jawan jo sarhad par khada hua hai, unki families jo kayi baar unko nahi dekh paati hain, unki shahadat ho jaati hai, wo ghar wapas nahi laut paate hain — unki itni badi sacrifice hoti hai hum sabke liye. Toh ye to bahut chhoti si baat hai ki hum ek cricket match na chhod sakein [For me, the soldier who stands on the border, whose family often doesn’t get to see him, who sometimes sacrifices his life and never returns home — their sacrifice is so immense for all of us.Compared to that, this is a very small thing — that we can’t even skip playing one cricket match. It’s a very small matter]," Harbhajan told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.India are placed alongside Oman, hosts United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan in Group A. Group B, meanwhile, comprises of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka."Our government has the same stance, 'Khoon aur paani ek saath nahi beh sakte.' (blood and sweat cannot co-exist). It cannot be the case that there’s fighting on the border, tensions between the two nations, and we go to play cricket. Until these big issues are resolved, cricket is a very small matter. The nation always comes first," Harbhajan said."Whatever our identity is, it’s because of this country. Whether you are a player, an actor, or anyone else — no one is bigger than the nation. The country comes first, and the duties we owe to it must be fulfilled. Cricket match na khelna bahut maamuli si cheez hai desh ke saamne [Not playing a cricket match is nothing compared to the importance of the nation]," the former spinner said."Humare sarhad pe bhai khade hue hain, jo hume protect kar rahe hain, humare desh ko protect kar rahe hain — unke hausle dekho, wo kitna bada dil leke waha pe khade hue hain. Aur unke parivaar par kya beetati hai jab wo ghar wapas nahi aate. Aur hum cricket khelne chale jaate hain [At the border, our brothers are standing, protecting us and our country. Look at their courage, the big hearts with which they serve. Think about what their families go through when they don’t return home. And here we are, playing cricket]," he said."Hum unko itni importance kyun dete hain? Are they that important? Are they that important ki har news channel unko chalaye? When you have boycotted them, when you don't want to talk to them, then why show them here? This is the duty of the media — to stop this. They shouldn't be adding fuel to the fire."As I said, cricketers shouldn't be shaking hands with the Pakistan players, but the media shouldn't be showing them and their reactions on television, either. They are sitting in their country and can say whatever they want, but we shouldn’t be highlighting them," he said.India are the defending Asia Cup champions. They defeated Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to clinch their eighth title — the most by any country in the competition's history.

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