Gautam Gambhir: India shouldn’t play Pakistan even at ICC events; Rohit, Kohli should stay in team till they are performing

India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday called for a complete halt to cricketing engagements with Pakistan at any forum, including Asia Cup and ICC events, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

At the ABP News’ ‘India At 2047’ Summit, Gambhir said the national team should not play the archrival until cross-border terrorism ends.

India has not played a full series against Pakistan since 2007 due to tense relations between the countries. They only play each other at multi-team events and even that should be discontinued, said Gambhir.

“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,” said Gambhir when asked about the future of Indo-Pak cricket in the current environment.

In a terror attack on April 22 in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam town, 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down.

Responding to the gruesome incident, India announced several measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the attack.

‘Neither cricket nor Bollywood more important than Indian lives’

“Ultimately this is 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,” Gambhir said.

“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.”

Asked specifically about India playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup this year or the T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka next year, Gambhir placed the onus on the BCCI and the government.

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“This is not up to me, this is for BCCI and more importantly the government to decide whether we should play them or not. Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it.”

In the recent Champions Trophy, India played all its games in Dubai and not host country Pakistan owing to security concerns. As part of an agreement worked out between the BCCI, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the ICC, all India-Pakistan matches in ICC events will be played in a neutral country till the 2027 cycle.

‘Rohit, Kohli should stay on as long as they are performing’

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli “should be a part of the Indian team till they are performing”, Gambhir additionally said, claiming that he will have no role in deciding whether the two senior batters are picked for the upcoming Test tour of England.

Speculation is swirling around the 38-year-old Rohit’s future as Test captain in England, but Gambhir gave an open-ended reply when asked about the issue. The chatter around Kohli, 36, is not particularly high-decibel but there are questions on his future too.

“First things first, a coach’s job isn’t selecting the team. It is the job of selectors to select. The coach only selects the 11 who will play a match. Neither those who coached before me were selectors nor am I a selector,” Gambhir said.

When pressed harder, Gambhir replied, “Till the time they (Rohit and Kohli) are performing, they should be a part of the team. When you start and when you end, is your individual decision.

“No coach, no selector, no BCCI can tell you when you should call it quits. If you perform, then why 40, you can jolly well play till 45, who’s stopping you?” he quipped.

India will tour England for five Tests starting June 20.

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While he didn’t give a definitive answer on the duo’s Test future, he had a slightly more positive outlook on their ability to carry on till the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.

“That (playing 2027 ODI World Cup) will depend on their performance. Only that can ensure their selection.”

Both the batters, who copped significant criticism for their underwhelming performances during the Test tour of Australia, enjoyed a fairly good run of form during the Champions Trophy and Gambhir acknowledged that.

“And what should I say about their performance? The world saw how they performed in CT.”

‘Farewells not on anyone’s bucket list’

Gambhir also rubbished the concept of planned farewells and insisted that no cricketer puts them on their bucket list.

“No sportsman plays cricket thinking about a grand farewell. Rather than farewell, we should try and remember how and in which situations they have won matches for the country,” he said.

“Whether he gets farewell or not isn’t important. If he has made contribution for the country, that itself is a big enough farewell. Is there any bigger trophy than love from countrymen? Farewells don’t matter to cricketers.”