Indian skipper Virat Kohli has said the team will stand by whatever decision the country and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) take regarding their upcoming clash with Pakistan at the ICC World Cup 2019. The upcoming cricket World Cup will be played in the United Kingdom and India are scheduled to play Pakistan in the group stage of the showpiece event on June 16 in Manchester.
However, in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of more than 40 CRPF jawans, calls have intensified for India to boycott their clash against the neighbouring nation.
“Our sincere condolences to the families of CRPF soldiers who lost their lives in Pulwama Attack. We stand by what the nation wants to do and what the BCCI decides to do,” Virat Kohli said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I against Australia.
Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court appointed the Committee of Administrators (CoA) met in Delhi to take a call on how to approach the India vs Pakistan World Cup match.
“The 16th of June is very far away. We will take a call on that much later and in consultation with the government,” CoA chief Vinod Rai said after the meeting.
When asked if players had been consulted on the issue, Rai replied in the negative. “In an e-mail to the ICC, we have expressed our concerns about the terrorist attack that has taken place. We are telling them that security of players and match officials should be appropriately taken care of.”
“And number two, we must sever ties with nations from which such terrorism emanates. We will express our concern on an appropriate forum,” Rai added indicating that the matter would be raised at the ICC quarterly board meeting in Dubai, scheduled to be held next month.