Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said that his team is aware of people’s sentiments ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 tie against Pakistan, and the management has spoken about keeping emotions in check. For the first time in history, mixed feelings have emerged in India pertaining to a cricket game as fans are not pleased with the side squaring off against Pakistan despite the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 innocent lives were lost.
The boycott campaign has started to gain steam, and several fans on social media have stated that they will not be watching the match between India and Pakistan as they prioritise the nation’s interests.
It must be mentioned that the Indian government devised a policy stating that the team would not be stopped from playing against Pakistan in multilateral events, and only bilateral ties would remain off-limits.
Also Read: BCCI distance themselves from Pakistan match in Asia Cup; opt for invisible boycott: ‘If we come on camera…’
Ryan ten Doeschate was candid in his response, saying that for a long time, he thought that India would not be travelling for the Asia Cup as the schedule was in limbo. However, he was quick to say that once the government permission came in, then only was it be decided that his team would go and play.
“It’s obviously a very sensitive issue, and I’ve got no doubt that the players share the compassion and the feeling of the vast majority of the Indian public. Look, the Asia Cup was in limbo for a long period of time, and we were just waiting. We didn’t think we were going to be coming at one stage,” ten Doeschate told reporters in Dubai on Saturday.
“But obviously, you know what the Indian government’s stance is on it, and now the team and particularly the players, you have to put those sentiments and emotions behind you. It’s actually something we addressed in the team meeting today. So we’re aware of people’s feelings, but at the same time, we’ve got to go out and the guys get a chance to play for their country again tomorrow and they’ll be as professional and as focused as they can be given the circumstances.,” he added.
The Indian coach also stated that there has been no extra preparation for the match against Pakistan, and it has been business as usual in terms of build-up for the game.
“Certainly, the preparation this week or the focus hasn’t been any different to the preparation of any other important game. Pakistan have sort of started to come to terms with how they want to play T20 cricket, so it’s going to be a slightly different challenge from maybe the last 24 months,” he said.
“But we want to focus on what we’re doing and how we want to play is the most important thing for us, given the potential of playing Pakistan a couple of times in this tournament, and obviously, in the next six months, as well, there’s going to be a World Cup. Again, it goes back to what you said about every single game being played in the same manner,” he added.
‘Gautam Gambhir’s message’
Gautam Gambhir, who earlier this year, during a media interaction, said that he is not in favour of having the matches against Pakistan as long as terror attacks continue, has also given a simple message to his team: the focus should be firmly on the job at hand and nothing else.
It would be interesting to see if the contest between India and Pakistan sees a sold-out stadium, as ticket sales are not that promising. Several reports claim that several seats are still up for grabs.
“We knew when this was going to happen was probably the most frustrating part. Once we knew we were going to be here and playing, we tried to get on with the business of it. This game, particularly, we haven’t prepared differently like I said earlier. We obviously are aware of sentiments and strong feelings. Gauti’s message has just been sort of very professional about not worrying about things that are not in our control,” he said.
“Just trying to be emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things. The guys are professional enough now. I’m sure individuals have different levels of feeling on the spectrum of where they feel the whole situation is. But the messaging has been to just focus on the cricket and try to focus on the one game tomorrow,” he added.
The assistant coach was also asked whether his players would make a statement on the pitch about what happened earlier this year. However, ten Doeschate remained tight-lipped, saying his team are just following the directives of the BCCI and the Indian government.
“I guess the other side of the argument is that you separate sports and politics. Hopefully, the way we play can represent the way players feel about the country. We are following the direction of the BCCI and the Indian government have decided about what is right for the country at the moment,” he stated.
