Should India Play Pakistan? Gogoi’s Letter to BCCI Rekindles Old Debate

The debate over cricketing ties between India and Pakistan has resurfaced once again, this time ignited by a strongly worded letter from Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi to the BCCI Secretary, Devajit Saikia. Gogoi has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to withdraw from the much-anticipated India-Pakistan cricket match scheduled for September 14, 2025.

In his letter, Gogoi frames cricket not merely as a sport but as a symbolic platform where national sentiment and diplomatic posture converge. While cricket has historically been a unifying spectacle, especially the high-octane clashes between India and Pakistan, Gogoi argues that such encounters must not come at the cost of national interest. His concern hinges on the persisting cross-border tensions and the sacrifices of the armed forces, which he believes render sporting engagements with Pakistan inappropriate at this juncture.

The Congress leader underscores India’s diplomatic efforts to expose Pakistan’s role in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, noting that the government itself has been advocating a policy of minimal engagement with Islamabad at international forums. He recalls the Prime Minister’s stark statement — “water and blood cannot flow together” — as an articulation of the nation’s uncompromising stance on security. Against this backdrop, Gogoi suggests, resuming cricketing ties risks sending out a message that undermines India’s own narrative on terrorism and national sovereignty.

Adding to his argument, Gogoi draws a comparison with Pakistan’s decision to back out of a hockey series in India citing security concerns. For him, it appears contradictory that while Pakistan refuses to play on Indian soil, India would still agree to resume cricketing ties. Such a move, he contends, could dilute the seriousness with which India presents its concerns over terrorism and cross-border hostility before the world.

Speculatively, Gogoi’s intervention could reignite a familiar fault line in India’s sports-diplomacy discourse: should cricket be kept separate from politics, or does it inevitably become a pawn in larger strategic messaging? Historically, India-Pakistan cricket has oscillated between being a vehicle for “cricket diplomacy” and a casualty of conflict. Every bilateral series — or its cancellation — has carried implications beyond the boundary rope.

Analytically, Gogoi’s demand also tests the BCCI’s position. As a private body functioning under the International Cricket Council (ICC) framework, the BCCI often finds itself balancing the fervour of fans, commercial commitments, and the sensitivities of the Indian government. While the BCCI has traditionally deferred to the Centre’s directive on matters involving Pakistan, the growing commercial stakes of India-Pakistan fixtures, particularly in global tournaments, make unilateral withdrawals complicated. Sponsors, broadcasters, and international bodies all factor into such decisions, raising the question: can the BCCI act solely on political sentiment without facing repercussions on cricket’s global stage?

On the other hand, Gogoi’s letter taps into a powerful emotive current among the public. For many Indians, especially in the aftermath of terror attacks, cricketing ties with Pakistan are perceived as an unacceptable softening of India’s resolve. The Congress leader, by articulating this sentiment formally to the BCCI, positions himself in alignment with a nationalist mood that often finds bipartisan resonance.

Whether the BCCI acts on Gogoi’s request remains uncertain. But what his letter undoubtedly does is reignite the larger national debate: should cricket serve as a bridge across troubled waters, or must it be suspended until those waters calm? In the end, the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry continues to be more than a contest on the field — it is a reflection of diplomacy, national identity, and the ever-tense geopolitics of South Asia.

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