Pulwama terror attack: Virat Kohli statement on Indo-Pak World Cup game
Visakhapatnam, Feb 23: India captain Virat Kohli Saturday said that his team will "respect the decision of the government" with regards to playing Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup in the wake of the Pulwama terror attacks where 40 CRPF personnel were martyred.
There has been calls to boycott the June 16 World Cup face-off against Pakistan at the Old Trafford in the aftermath of the dastardly attack but the Indian cricket board has not taken a call, putting the ball in government's court.
"Our stand is simple. We stick by what the nation wants to do and what the BCCI decides to do and that is basically our opinion," skipper Kohli said on the eve of India's opening T20 International against Australia on Sunday.
"Whatever the government and the board decide, we will eventually go by that and will respect that. So that is our stand on this particular issue," Kohli added.
The captain offered his condolences on behalf of the entire Indian team to the families of the martyred soldiers.
"Our sincere condolences to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives. The Indian team is really shocked and sad about what happened."
Kohli's stand is pretty similar to what chief coach Ravi Shastri echoed in an interview to a television channel where he said that the team will "accept whatever decision that the government takes."
"It's entirely left to the BCCI and the government. They know exactly what is happening and they will take a call. We will go by what they decide," Shastri told Mirror Now.
"If the government says it's that sensitive you do not need to play the World Cup, I will go by my government," the head coach further said.
On Friday, the Committee of Administrators run BCCI decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan but urged the ICC and other nations to "sever ties" with countries from where "terrorism emanates".
"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 had said on Friday
"We must sever ties with nations from which such terrorism emanates. We will express our concern on an appropriate forum," Rai had further added.
There has been divided opinion among cricket fraternity with Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin tendulkar urging India to play and beat Pakistan denying them any leeway in the tournament.
However there are counter-views with another former skipper Sourav Ganguly and one of country's top wicket takers Harbhajan Singh calling for a boycott of sporting ties with the neighbouring country.
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K’taka cabinet approves cricket matches at M. Chinnaswamy stadium: Reports
Belagavi: The state cabinet under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reportedly given its nod to permit cricket matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, subject to certain conditions.
The decision is learnt to have been taken after a meeting held at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here on Thursday.
Reports indicate that Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara has been directed to formulate rules along with a referendum to hold a cricket match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The cabinet’s approval comes subject to conditions, considering the report of Justice D’Cunha, which was prepared after the stampede.
The June 4 stampede during the celebrations for RCB’s maiden IPL title killed 11 people, which raised serious questions over the stadium's capability to host large-scale events.
Will RCB be playing at their home ground next year?
Stating that the “state had learned from the tragedy,” Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday, December 08, dismissed the talks about shifting Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home games out of the city.
He also said that the Chinnaswamy Stadium is the “pride of Bengaluru and Karnataka” and vowed that IPL fixtures will continue to be played there.
On Wednesday, Shivakumar met the newly elected KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad at the Circuit House in Belagavi and reiterated that cricket matches, including IPL fixtures, will not be shifted out of Bengaluru.
“We have no intention of stopping matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium, but crowd control measures and the Michael D. Cunha committee’s recommendations will be implemented in phases,” he told reporters.
Shivakumar said the government is committed to promoting cricket and supporting fans while safeguarding the state’s reputation, adding that Prasad had sought the government’s cooperation and agreed to work jointly on the issue.
