Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin commented that Pakistan has no option but to back down from its stance of boycotting the ICC T20 World Cup match against India. He also suggested that there was a possibility of the decision being reversed in the next few days.
The impact of India-Pakistan dispute is often seen on the game of cricket in recent times. While India took an undisputed stance of not traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy citing security concerns and then ignored the friendly treatment with them during the Asia Cup meetup.
Escalating the issue, Pakistan cited ICC’s conduct against Bangladesh and conspired to take revenge from them. He announced his participation in the upcoming World Cup, but also informed us that he will not play in the match against India on 15th February.
“India-Pakistan match will happen, 100 percent” – Ravichandran Ashwin
Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has commented that Pakistan has no option but to back out from their approach for the upcoming T20 World Cup. When Scotland replaced Bangladesh in ICC tournaments, Pakistan made these announcements to support Bangladesh.
The ICC warned the PCB of dire consequences if it did not immediately back down. However, despite knowing that financial and disciplinary sanctions could be imposed on them, Pakistan is refusing to step back even an inch.
“The India-Pakistan match will happen, 100 per cent. In fact, I think in the next 2,3, or 4 days, they will withdraw their boycott. That’s my guess. I want to see the India-Pakistan match. There are a lot of business decisions in it. After all this, if Pakistan decides to play against them on February 15, what will be their mindset?” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, as he clearly stated that the situation will take a clear U-turn.
There is no talks between India-Pakistan boards before T20 World Cup
India and Pakistan played three times in the 2025 Asia Cup despite the attacks on Pahalgam Valley in India, for which he blamed Pakistan. However, many also claimed that Pakistan may have backed out because they feared defeat against India.
As per the latest reports, as of now, there are no talks going on between the BCCI and the PCB, and there have also been no further discussions between the governing bodies of the ICC and the PCB.
Pakistan have reached Sri Lanka for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, and will play their first warm-up game against Ireland on February 4, before entering the World Cup league-stage matches.
Ravichandran Ashwin calls Pakistan’s approach a futile effort
Ravichandran Ashwin also pointed to several instances in ICC tournaments when teams have refused to play against specific opponents or travel to a particular venue. However, he believes that those decisions were taken solely by countries like Australia, New Zealand and England citing security threats.
However, Pakistan is unfair as they have already been assigned a neutral venue and have no security concerns, as India will travel to Sri Lanka to play against their rivals Pakistan.
“This could lead to massive losses for Pakistan. They will have to pay the broadcasters for the losses they are incurring, that is not going to happen. So, I think they will have to compromise. Pakistan has already got a neutral venue to play against India, so saying ‘I will not play against a particular opponent’ is not acceptable in many ways. I hope a better understanding is reached.”
Also read: MS Dhoni gives big warning to Gautam Gambhir before T20 World Cup 2026
