Veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels the nation is above everything else and it won’t even matter if Virat Kohli & Co. opt to boycott the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019, which will be held in England and Wales later this year.
Team India will face arch-rivals Pakistan on June 16 in Manchester in the group stage of the limited-overs tournament. However, in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, many cricket fans and a few experts have requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to boycott Pakistan in the World Cup. When asked about this, Harbhajan said if India pulled out of the tournament it won’t matter to the players as they were Indians first and then sportsmen.
“World Cup is very small when it comes to the country. 40 people who have lost their lives, who is going to pay for that? We have to stand united with the country. Even if we don’t play the 2019 World Cup, it won’t matter,” Harbhajan told India Today.
Harbhajan Singh also insisted that sports and terrorism could not go hand in hand.
“We are Indians first and then we are players. We are what we are because of this country. People love us because we play for India. The armed forces sacrifice everything to protect us… it’s not right to keep playing sports with Pakistan when our soldiers are dying,” Harbhajan added.
The World Cup will kickstart on May 30, 2019, in England. Hosts England will take on South Africa in the tournament opener.