Danish Kaneria shares his thoughts on the India-Pakistan boycott divide: The India vs Pakistan 2026 T20 World Cup match on Sunday was under a cloud after Pakistan refused to play against Suryakumar Yadav’s side in the major event. The decision comes amid the government’s confirmation of participation in the World Cup scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka. The Government of Pakistan issued a statement last night on the following matters.

Since then, the cricketing world has been in chaos, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) reportedly convening a highly urgent meeting within 48 hours to discuss Pakistan’s selective participation. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) declined to comment on the reports pending any action by the International Cricket Federation. Danish Kaneria took to his YouTube channel to share his thoughts on the ongoing rift.

“This decision was completely unexpected” – Danish Kaneria

Danish Kaneria said: “This decision was completely unexpected. No one expected Pakistan to refuse to play against India in the World Cup. It is difficult to understand why this boycott happened. Previously, the T20 World Cup was scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka and Pakistan had asked not to play in India, which is understandable. The ICC subsequently scheduled all Pakistan’s matches in Sri Lanka and even the India vs. Pakistan match was scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka instead of India.”

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“So the logic behind the boycott doesn’t make sense now. One would feel that Pakistan is afraid of facing India and that’s why they refuse to play. Pakistan has lost to India many times in recent years and this decision by the Pakistan government may end up hurting its own cricket more than anyone else’s.”

Danish Kaneria thinks politics should not be involved

Danish Kaneria further added, “The rivalry between India and Pakistan that once existed is no longer the same. This rivalry has been waning over the years. Even in the last World Cup, the hype was nowhere near what it used to be. The reason is simple: Pakistan no longer plays the kind of cricket that India plays.

“Keeping politics out of cricket. Bringing politics into the game will only hurt the players, fans and the next generation. It will do long-term damage to Pakistani cricket and the younger generation. Cricket is the only major sport in Pakistan that truly unites the people. If politics is brought into cricket like this, it will damage the future of cricket there.”

Pakistan cricket in danger

The revenue from the India-Pakistan match is double that of any other match in the ICC’s major tournaments. Sanctions may be imposed if Pakistan does not adhere to the schedule and boycotts the matches. They may face a ban and big teams may not travel to play bilateral series against them. World Test Championship points may also be matched.

The PCB is yet to provide an official statement to the ICC on the Pakistan government’s statement. The ICC said in a press release that it has taken note of the Pakistan government’s statement regarding the decision to direct its national team to participate selectively in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Also read: Rajeev Shukla joins forces with ICC to defeat Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi in ​​T20 World Cup drama