Boycott calls emerge in India ahead of Pakistan clash at Asia Cup

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by four law students seeking to stop the India–Pakistan Asia Cup match, ruling that the plea was not maintainable.

Despite the ruling, political figures, commentators, and public personalities continued to debate whether India should participate in the high-profile encounter.

Indian news anchor Shiv Aroor criticised the government’s stance, arguing that New Delhi should have used the match to signal a tougher policy against Pakistan following the recent attack in Pahalgam, which Islamabad has strongly denied. He described the justification of participating in a “multilateral tournament” as “pathetic” and said, “We make the rules.”

Another television anchor, Arnab Goswami, also called for a boycott, urging viewers not to watch the game and questioning the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the broadcaster Sony TV over who gave “permission for the match.”

Former cricketer and politician Manoj Tiwary announced that he was boycotting the Asia Cup, saying human lives should not be compared with sport. He argued that India could have reached the final without playing Pakistan by winning other matches.

However, some voices defended the decision to play. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker and former sports minister Anurag Thakur said the BCCI had little choice but to compete in multilateral tournaments organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) or International Cricket Council (ICC). “If they don’t do that, they will be eliminated from the tournament,” he told ANI.

Actor Suniel Shetty, father-in-law of Indian cricketer KL Rahul, echoed similar sentiments, noting that cricketers are bound by international regulations. “As Indians, it is our personal call whether we want to see it or not […] but you cannot blame cricketers for playing because they are expected to represent the country,” he said.