[Watch] “You can take out cricket from a player’s life, but you can’t take out the cricketer in him” – Sports Minister Anurag Thakur

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur recently reminisced about his days as a cricketer in a recent post on social media. That came as he shared a video where he can be seen playing cricket and hitting a six at a sports venue amid the ongoing Asian Games 2023.

On Sunday, September 23, the 48-year-old cricketer-turned-politician captioned the post on X (formerly known as Twitter):

“You can take out cricket from a player's life, but you can't take out the cricketer in him.”

Watch the video below:

For the uninitiated, Anurag Thakur has played a Ranji Trophy game against Jammu & Kashmir in November 2000 when he led Himachal Pradesh. He picked himself for the game to fulfill BCCI’s criteria of becoming a selector at the state level. Interestingly, his debut was his only one and the only first-class match.

Thakur also served as the president of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA). It was under his tenure when the Dharamsala’s international stadium was made. He also served as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from May 2015 to February 2017.

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“We will not resume our cricketing ties with Pakistan” – Anurag Thakur

Anurag Thakur recently said that India will not be resuming their cricketing ties with Pakistan. He recently told the reporters in Rajasthan’s Udaipur:

“The BCCI decided long ago that it will not play any bilateral matches with Pakistan until they stop terrorism. We will not resume our cricketing ties with Pakistan unless they stop carrying out attacks across the border or infiltration incidents. This is in line with sentiments of Indian citizens.”

For the uninitiated, India and Pakistan only play in ICC events. The two teams last played a bilateral series in 2012.

Due to the ongoing tensions, India recently played Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka, which was played in a hybrid model with other participating teams playing in Pakistan as well. Pakistan, however, will come to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup after threatening to pull out of the marquee ICC event.

India and Pakistan will play their World Cup game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.