Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has stated that India should boycott Pakistan at the ICC World Cup. He feels there is no need to play against Pakistan as country comes first.
The voices to forfeit the World Cup game against arch rivals are gaining momentum following terror attack on CRPF convoy. 42 security personnel were killed when an explosive-laden car rammed into one of the buses carrying soldiers.
After Harbhajan Singh’s request to BCCI, Azhar has also voiced his opinion on the matter. He said India should not play Pakistan anywhere if they have boycotted bilateral series against the neighbors.
He agreed with Bhajji that World Cup is not bigger than the country.
“If we are not playing Pakistan in bilateral series, we should not play them anywhere. I agree with Harbhajan, the World Cup cannot be bigger than the country,” he was quoted as saying by India Today.
Azhar revealed that the game against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup was full of tension as the Kargil war was on and there was fear of clashes between the two sets of spectators during the course of proceedings.
“There was tension…there was the war on. We were scared the spectators would start fighting. When we won, the soldiers celebrated. If you play Pakistan, play everywhere. Otherwise, don’t play them anywhere. ICC and BCCI should resolve this quickly,” said Azharuddin.