- By Himanshu Badola
- Sun, 21 Sep 2025 06:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan are all set for another massive challenge when they face the strong Indian side in the Super Fours clash in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
The much-awaited IND vs PAK match will be played amid the ongoing controversy that erupted after the conclusion of the group A clash between the arch-rivals. India registered a dominating 7-wicket victory in that match, and they refused the customary handshake after the match with the Pakistani players as a symbolic protest against the Pahalgam Terror Attack.
While their performance has already been horrible in the ongoing tournament, the Pakistan cricket team has faced intense off-field drama that has created immense pressure on them ahead of the all-important fixture. Amid the handshake row, it was learned that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed a psychologist to help players manage stress, stay focused and maintain composure under pressure.
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The appointment of a motivational speaker in the middle of the tournament has questioned the team’s strength, leading to a different debate altogether. Former PCB chief Najam Sethi opened up on the concept of having a mental health expert with the team during his tenure, but the players disapproved of it.
"I tried for it [Having a psychiatrist] during my tenure. But players here don’t really accept such things, because in our culture, therapy is often misunderstood. Going to a psychiatrist is considered a sign of weakness or even madness, which creates stigma," Sethi told Samaa TV.
The former PCB chairman went on to point out that a language barrier between the expert and the players on the team.
"Mental health, however, is a broader concept. Unfortunately, here it is only reduced to: “Are you crazy or not?"
"But the most interesting factor here is that many of these experts are foreign-qualified. They communicate in English which isn’t the language of our boys. They are required to be told in Urdu or Pashto.
"Their backgrounds, their class, and the lack of proper education are another issue. Psychiatrist bhi raato raat unko kuch nahi seekha sakta (A psychiatrist can’t help them overnight)," Sethi added.
After Suryakumar dedicated the win over Pakistan to the victims of the Pahalgam Attack and the Indian Armed Forces, the PCB was left fuming and ended up blaming the match referee for not dealing with the whole scenario properly. They boycotted the post-match presentation and press conference and even came out with the threat to pull out of the rest of the tournament.
While they asked the ICC to suspend Pycroft from the rest of the tournament with a threat to boycott their match against the UAE, the global cricketing body turned down all the allegations, which added to PCB's frustration.
They managed to beat the UAE in their final group A match and made it to the Super Fours. The IND vs PAK match will ince again have Pycroft as the match referee.