• Source:JND
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IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025: Sitanshu Kotak, who is the batting coach of the Indian cricket team, has revealed that their only focus is to play cricket after the BCCI 'aligned itself' and followed the government's rule to face arch-rivals Pakistan during the ongoing tournament and dismissed all the outside noise for this high-octane clash. The arch-rivals will lock horns with each other on Sunday and will be facing each other for the first time after the airstrike held earlier this year, where the Indian Army attacked all the terror camps in Pakistan after 26 tourists died in a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam.

"Once BCCI said they were aligned with the government's decision, our focus was always on the match. It's India versus Pakistan, and it will be an interesting game," Kotal told the reporters in the pre-match press conference.

"India versus Pakistan is always a competitive game," he said.

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He was also asked whether the players really are unaffected by the geopolitical tensions after the terror attack in Pahalgam, and to this Kotak replied, "Players are focused on the ground and nothing else is on their minds."

The Indian cricket fans urged the Indian cricket board to end all cricketing relations with Pakistan after the Pakistan terror attack, post which the Indian Army retaliated with 'Operation Sindoor' and destroyed all the terrorist camps in Pakistan.

According to a new government policy, the Men in Blue will play in a bilateral series with Pakistan, but will play against them during multilateral tournaments like the Asia Cup 2025 or any ICC tournament.

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But now the focus has shifted to the much-awaited Asia Cup match.

Both the teams have began their preparations in contrasting manner, where the Men in Blue under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, in T20Is, where the Men in Green came into this tournament by snubbing veterans Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in order to shake up their T20I team.