Famous Indian actor and producer Suniel Shetty has shared his thoughts on how India and Pakistan should schedule their forthcoming Group A match. On Sunday, September 14, the bitter rivals will square off at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Suniel Shetty emphasised that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is in charge of organising the multilateral competition and that it is up to each individual whether or not they wish to watch the game.
Given the tense political ties between the adjacent countries, particularly in the wake of the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam earlier this year, his comments coincide with calls to boycott the game.
“The [ACC] is a global athletic organisation. Because there are many different sports and many athletes participating in them, they [players] must follow those laws and restrictions. According to The Economic Times, Suniel Shetty said, “As Indians, I believe that is our personal decision that we have to make, whether we want to see it or not, whether we want to go or not go, and that’s a decision India has to make.”
He stood up for the cricket players, saying that they have no control over whether or not they choose to boycott the game. He ended by saying that the match’s schedule cannot be attributed to a single party.
Cricket players are athletes, thus you can’t hold them accountable for playing. They are supposed to speak for the nation. I believe we need to answer that call. If it’s not visible to me, I won’t see it. It’s up to you all to determine what you want to do. BCCI has no control over it. You can’t hold anyone accountable because it’s a global athletic organisation,” he continued.
The public at large as well as the media have been quite outraged. A lot of people have decided not to cover the game.