Strictly from a cricket standpoint, it is great the Asia Cup is on. And this has little to do with Pakistan. The Asia Cup belongs to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) of which India is a founding member, and this time India is the host of the event. So, would it be okay if India was to walk out and abandon others?

India has a responsibility to help cricket grow in the region and ensure the Asia Cup is a financial success. The ACC consists of about 30 members (including China, Japan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan) who depend on funds from the event. This Asia Cup is likely to raise $25-30mn and each ACC member stands to receive a slice of this cake.

What India gets won’t be very much, probably less than the annual budget of a Ranji team. But for the others (even our Test-playing neighbours) this is a financial lifeline. The ACC uses money from the event to fund its development

Programme. It provides coaches and equipment to members and gives grants for infrastructure.

India’s support for the Asia Cup strengthens its leadership position in

international cricket. Many ACC members are voters in ICC and having them on your side is never a bad thing.

The Asia Cup must also be placed in the larger context of Indian sports and our participation in multilateral international events in the future. Boycotting the event citing Pakistan’s presence would have created an awkward situation, putting India in a place it would not want to be in.

For India, hosting the 2036 Olympics is the big goal. The bid process is yet to kick off officially but India is positioned as a serious contender. The road to ‘36 goes through other big events where cricket plays a crucial part.

The 2026 Asian Games has cricket and Pakistan will also be competing. Same could be the situation at the LA Olympics in 2028. In 2030, India and Pakistan might once again be facing off in the Commonwealth Games. The government has already cleared our bid to host the Games. With these events coming up, India’s refusal to engage with Pakistan would be a negative step.

While the bigger picture of the Asia Cup is much more than Pakistan, the core

remains the on-field battle between the two teams. Commerce dictates that they play each other and the tournament is financially viable (and the interest of spectators, sponsors, broadcaster) is only because of the India-Pakistan games.

This simple fact is reflected in the ticket rates: a hospitality ticket for the September 10 India-UAE match costs 550 dirhams, but the price jumps to 3,500 dirhams for the much-awaited September 14 India-Pakistan clash. The broadcast deal is also decided on the basis of the likely number of India-Pakistan games.

The reality is India-Pakistan cricket is prime commercial property and the

surrounding political controversies and tensions involving the two nations increases interest in the matches, enhancing its monetary value. Sensing the commercial opportunities the games are aggressively promoted.

However, of late, cricket contests between India and Pakistan is not of the same quality as in the past. The teams are mismatched with India far too strong for Pakistan. Indian cricket’s riches are such that it can’t accommodate quality players.

Pakistan, on the other hand, is desperate for players good enough to perform at the international level, especially with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan not making the cut.

Their batting revolves round the experienced Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub, and young Sahibzada Farhan and Hasan Nawaz, and little else. Their bowling too is hardly of the level to scare anyone. In a man-to-man comparison, it is difficult to see any Pakistan player making the Indian team. If Shreyas Iyer was available for Pakistan he would be an automatic choice as captain.

Pakistan’s recent record against India isn’t great either. In 2023, India beat Pakistan comfortably in Ahmedabad, chasing down 192 in 30.3 overs. In the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA, Pakistan lost again with India defending 119. In 2025, India crushed Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in Dubai with Virat scoring a hundred.

Though all attention is focussed on the India-Pakistan game on Sunday,

Afghanistan or Sri Lanka can spring a surprise in the 20-over format. Afghanistan stunned Pakistan the other day and the Asia Cup could end up being more just a India-Pakistan battle.