Kohli says his opinion on India-Pak ties is immaterial
Sporting rivalries around the world have moulded careers, produced heroes and villains, brought smiles or tears on the faces of players and fans alike. An India versus Pakistan cricket match invokes all of the above and more. There was a time when this rivalry was compared to the Ashes. The comparison does not hold good anymore as India do not play bilateral series with Pakistan and is unlikely to do so soon.
Even then, it does not come as a surprise when India skipper Virat Kohli, in his post match media conference after thrashing Pakistan in Birmingham on Sunday, said he really enjoys being part of the battle between the archrivals. “You do enjoy playing against them. They’re very competitive. The atmosphere is great. As a cricketer, we really enjoyed this game,” said Kohli.
The ICC events and the Asia Cup remain the only platforms where India and Pakistan face each other now. As the BCCI officials met their Pakistan counterparts last month in Dubai, sports minister Vijay Goel ruled out the possibility of resuming bilateral cricket. Obviously, Kohli felt his opinion on resumption of bilateral series is immaterial. “As cricketers, those things are not in our hands. We come here to play the sport. And that’s all we focus on. It’s not my place to speak of any other decisions. The higher officials take care of those decisions. My opinion does not matter and should not matter.”
“But regardless of who you play, you just want to play cricket. It’s not preferences over opposition,” Kohli said.
The last time Pakistan played India was in 2012. It was a threematch ODI and a two-match T20 series. The last full series between the two was in 2007 after the Dosti series in 2004.