Cliff Notes – Gambhir: India should not play Pakistan at all
- Gautam Gambhir has called for a complete cessation of cricketing ties with Pakistan, citing terrorism concerns following the recent Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people.
- He emphasised that no sporting engagement should take precedence over the lives of Indian soldiers and citizens, leaving the decision to the government and BCCI.
- Gambhir clarified that his role as coach does not include team selection, asserting that performance should dictate a player’s continuation in the squad.
Gambhir: India should not play Pakistan at all
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has called for a complete halt to cricketing engagements with Pakistan, including at neutral venues, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
“My personal answer to this is absolutely no,” Gambhir said, when asked whether India should continue playing Pakistan at neutral venues, at an ABP event in Delhi on Tuesday. “Till all this (terrorism) doesn’t stop, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan.”
In a terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Kashmir, 26 people were killed by gunmen. Since then, the government of India has announced several measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the border crossing at Attari, and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the attack.
India have not played a bilateral cricket series against Pakistan since January 2013 and have only played them at multi-nation tournaments such as the Asia Cup and ICC events. They most recently played each other during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai, and could possibly be drawn to face each other in the women’s ODI World Cup and men’s Asia Cup later this year, and the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026.
“Ultimately, this is government’s decision whether we play them or not,” Gambhir said. “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. 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.
“This is not up to me, it’s not in my jurisdiction, this is for BCCI and more importantly, the government to decide whether we should play them or not,” Gambhir said when asked if he would present his position to the BCCI. “Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it.”
‘A coach’s job isn’t selecting the team’
Gambhir also said he will have no role in deciding whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are picked for the upcoming five-Test tour of England, which begins in June. Both batters had struggled for runs during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in December-January but played important roles in India winning the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
“First things first, a coach’s job isn’t selecting the team. It is the job of selectors to select,” Gambhir said. “The coach only selects the 11 who will play a match. Neither those who coached before me were selectors, nor am I a selector.
“Till the time they 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?”