We are not against cricket, but not with Pakistan: Pathankot martyr's widow on resuming ties with arch rivals

Dharamsala: While the HPCA stadium looked all set to host the much-awaited India-Pakistan clash in ICC World Twenty20 last year, a protest by the families of martyrs of Pathankot attack forced the officials to shift the venue to Eden Gardens at the last moment.

The venue was shifted after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh opposed hosting of the high-profile World T20 clash in Dharamsala, citing security concerns.

Singh asked the Indian board to shift the venue, as Kangra was home to a large number of soldiers, including Kargil War heroes like Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Saurabh Kalia, and hosting the Pakistani team would have severely hurt the sentiments of martyrs' families.

While the venue was shifted to Kolkata, due to the ongoing political tension between the two countries, it's only during ICC tournaments and in series involving more than two teams that fans get to see an Indo-Pak contest.

Speaking to Mid Day, Pinky Rana, widow of one of the Pathankot martyrs, explains why India should not resume playing cricket with Pakistan.

"We are not against cricket. We are against cricket with Pakistan. How can we bear to watch people celebrating sport with an enemy who has taken away the breadwinner of our family? The Pathankot attack was not in war. It was a guerrilla attack by a bunch of cowards backed by Pakistan," said Pinky.

An emotional Pinky also recalled how her husband loved cricket and used to play it with neighbours.

"Sanjeevan was a fine wrestler and boxer during his army days, and played cricket with neighbours at the nearby ground. In fact, Shubham learnt cricket from his father. Sanjeevan loved cricket, as do my daughters," said Pinky.

Amid the chaos caused by political issues between India and Pakistan, the two cricketing nations are set to go head to head in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh ahead of the much-awaited clash in Champions Trophy in England.

The two teams will lock horns in the Emerging Cup tournament, an event designed for the Under-23 players, but four teams — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka — can field four national players in total without an age cap. Other four teams — Afghanistan, UAE, Hong Kong, Nepal — are eligible to play their national sides.

The tournament will be played under the banner of Asian Cricket Committee and is scheduled to take place between March 15 to 26.

Confirming the news, MV Sridhar was quoted saying by The Indian Express, “Yes, India would be sending a team to the tournament. It’s an ACC tournament and so we would go there. This is not a bilateral India-Pakistan series, and so this is different."