Ahead of the blockbuster IND vs PAK World Cup 2023 clash on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, fans have threatened to boycott the match on social media after accusing BCCI of giving ‘special treatment’ to the Pakistan cricket team despite knowing about Pakistan’s involvement in terrorism, once again sparking a ‘Boycott’ trend and debate over whether sports and politics/international relations can be kept separate.
Earlier on September 13, an Indian Army Colonel commanding a Rashtriya Rifles Unit, along with a Major and a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were killed in a gunfight with terrorists in the Kokernag area of Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The pictures and videos of Pakistani players receiving a warm welcome for their matches in the World Cup in India have gone viral after this encounter, with many questioning why Pakistani players are being treated this way when instances of terrorism continue from Pakistan’s side, causing loss of life and property in India, especially of soldiers, security, and police forces.
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The announcement of a pre-match show in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, featuring Bollywood singers Arijit Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, and Sukhwinder Singh, by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), also made plenty of fans furious. Notably, no opening ceremony was held for the ICC Cricket World Cup, being hosted in India for the first time.
Also, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2013, and India last travelled to Pakistan for the 2008 Asia Cup. Since 2013, India has only played Pakistan in ICC tournaments like the T20 World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy, and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournament, the Asia Cup.
The viral media of Pakistan players receiving a warm welcome and announcement of the pre-match show in Ahmedabad ahead of the IND-PAK clash led to many social media users voicing out their displeasure and threatening to boycott the show and the match itself.