Rohit Sharma on playing Pakistan: “Let’s focus on this World Cup because it’s important for us”

The comments come after the BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, who is also the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, suggested that next year’s Asia Cup would have to be played somewhere other than Pakistan, given India “can’t go there”.

India and Pakistan will face each other in Melbourne on Sunday at the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup. | Photo Credit: AP

Just as India and Pakistan geared up for Sunday’s ICC Twenty20 World Cup match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the off-field noise has been further amplified by discussions over next year’s Asia Cup. It was no surprise that during Saturday’s press-conference, the issue was raised with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.

The backdrop to this were the statements from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, who is also the Asian Cricket Council president. Shah had emphasised that the continental tournament would be held at a neutral venue and it drew a sharp response from the Pakistan Cricket Board. Subsequently the BCCI president Roger Binny reiterated that touring Pakistan is a call that would be taken later by the central government.

When specifically asked about these conversations over the last few days, Rohit offered a straight bat and stressed on living in the present. Pressed for a reply, he said: “My take is let’s focus on this World Cup because this is important for us. We are not worried about what is going to happen later. There’s no point in thinking about it. The BCCI will make the decisions on that. We are focused on how we need to be very well prepared for tomorrow’s (Sunday) game.”