Kapil Dev on Pakistan cricket team boycotting games against India: ‘In the long run, no one will miss them…’

Kapil Dev on the left and Pakistan cricket team on the right.

Former Indian world cup winning captain Kapil Dev slammed Pakistan’s decision to boycott their match against India in the upcoming World Cup. Earlier, the government of the country asked the side to play the tournament; however, it asked not to play against India. Kapil Dev said if the decision came from players, it could be considered, but as it was coming from the board, he said it would kill the generation of players and also added that people will move on from them.

“If the decision was taken by the players, they can come out and say. However, if the board says that you will not play, the reputation of the country comes down. It is not looking bright for Pakistan. You are killing the generation. Pakistan have given us fantastic talents over the years. But if you will not allow these boys to play in the World Cup, you are killing the generation and hurting the game. You are being unfair to your own players,” Kapil Dev said on NDTV.

Kapil Dev said that if they boycott the games against India in due course, they will lose fans, and people will move on from them. “The emotions and spectators will be impacted. But, in the long run, no one will miss them. People will not think about it for a long time, and they will ultimately move on,” he added.

The ICC, on the other hand, warned there would be implications of such a decision going forward for Pakistan’s cricket future. “The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of,” read an ICC press release.

“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026; however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February against India,” said a post on X (Formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

However, ICC has started. There has been official confirmation with them on the matter: “This position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule,” a statement from ICC read.