"There should not be anything between India and Pakistan" - Gautam Gambhir's hard-hitting statement following Pahalgam terror attack

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir believes matches between India and Pakistan should stop at all levels following the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The brutal attack resulted in 26 deaths, sending shockwaves around India and further worsening their relationship with Pakistan.

The after-effects included several prominent Pakistani athletes having their Social Media accounts blocked in India. The two arch-rivals have stopped playing each other in bilateral affairs for over a decade, with their meetings coming only in ICC events and other multi-national tournaments.

Talking about future India-Pakistan matches at an ABP event, Gambhir said (via News18):

"My personal answer to this is absolutely no. Till all this (cross-border terrorism) doesn’t stop there should not be anything between India and Pakistan. Ultimately, this is the government’s call whether we play them or not. I have said this before also, no cricket match or Bollywood or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens."

He added:

"Matches will keep happening, movies will be made, singers will continue to perform, but nothing comes close to losing a loved one in your family."

India and Pakistan last met in the 2025 Champions Trophy, with the Men in Blue winning by six wickets.

"For BCCI and more importantly the government to decide" - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir believes that India-Pakistan matches in the Asia Cup later this year or the T20 World Cup next year should hinge on the BCCI and the government's decision. While Pakistan played in India in the 2023 ODI World Cup, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

The Men in Blue instead played their games in Sri Lanka and Dubai in those two tournaments hosted by Pakistan.

"This is not up to me, this is for BCCI and more importantly the government to decide whether we should play them or not (Upcoming Asia Cup and T20 World Cup). Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it," said Gambhir (via aforementioned source).

As things stand, the players from India and Pakistan are playing in the IPL and Pakistan Super League (PSL), respectively.