Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who is also an Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, has urged the Indian cricket team to boycott the game against Pakistan at the upcoming Asia Cup tournament in the UAE. Harbhajan was part of the India Champions team which refused to play the Pakistan Champions side, including in the semi-final, at the recent World Championship of Legends. India were the reigning champions after winning the inaugural WCL event, but with players like captain Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan and Harbhajan against the idea of India playing Pakistan, the India Champions outfit forfeited the semis, and let Pakistan walk into the final, where they eventually lost. The Indian team had also refused to play in a group stage game against their arch-rivals.
“They (the Indian team) need to understand what is important and what is not. This is as simple as that. 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 skip playing one cricket match. It’s a very small matter,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
“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,” he added.
He also added: “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.
