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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Manmohan Singh left 'big imprint' on country's economy: CM Siddaramaiah
Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away on December 26, has left a "big imprint" on the country's economy.
Calling him "the most respected man", the CM recalled Singh as a simple, gentleman and honest politician.
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92.
"Singh's life, in a way, is a miracle. He was born in a small village in today's Pakistan and went on to become one of the country's and the world's renowned economist. He was finance minister in Narasimha Rao cabinet and through liberalisation and privatisation, he opened up the Indian economy and there by resolved the financial crisis that the country was facing," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, in 2004, Sonia Gandhi chose Singh as the prime minister, the responsibility he held for ten years, uplifting the country both economically and socially.
"He is among the honest prime ministers the country has seen. He has left a big imprint on the country's economy. His life and work towards shaping the country's economy is an inspiration to all of us," he added.
Stating that Singh never had intoxication of power, Siddaramaiah said, he was a simple, gentleman and honest politician.
"He was the most respected man. He lived with dignity and respect in politics. Such a person has departed. His death is a big loss for India. I pray to the Almighty that he give strength to Singh's family, friends and well-wishers to bear the loss," he said.
Singh introduced the Food Security Act to ensure that the poor get food grains at a cheaper cost, the CM said, and added that, "after this law was enacted, I brought in a scheme in Karnataka to provide rice at Re 1 to poor, later that was changed to free 5 kg of rice."
"Today, if Narendra Modi-led NDA government is providing 5 kg of free rice to the poor the reason for it is Manmohan Singh. During Singh's tenure as PM he worked keeping in mind poor," he added.
Noting that he shared a good relationship with Singh as he was PM during his first stint as CM, Siddaramaiah said, he had lauded state's economy and government's schemes.
Singh's death was announced on Thursday night by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, where he was admitted in the Emergency ward around 8.30 PM in a critical condition.
