• Source:JND
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Asia Cup 2025: The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match will take place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium under unprecedented security. But what brings the most passion to cricket's greatest rivalry is a deeper question of why cricket diplomacy between India and Pakistan has failed repeatedly over the decades.

The April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which Pakistan-supported militants killed 26 Indian tourists, has long overshadowed the coming fixture. Victim families, political figures, and civil society organizations have questioned the insensitivity of scheduling such a match so soon after the tragedy. Widows and survivors have accused authorities of ignoring national sentiment, with many urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to boycott the game altogether.

Public opinion in India over the upcoming match remains sharply divided. Some fans, like Mumbai resident Shubham Chavan, said to ANI that the 'game should not take place', though he admitted the sporting thrill of an India-Pakistan clash is unmatched. Meanwhile, a majority of the supporters believe that playing Pakistan immediately after the Pahalgam terror attack is an insult to the victims. Political opposition leaders like AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi have questioned whether the economic benefits of the game outweigh the cost of lives lost in terror attacks.

Cricket Diplomacy: A History of Failures

Cricket has been hailed as an instrument of peace-making over the past several decades. With every effort, however, it is collapsing under the strain of cross-border terrorism and political animosity.

• 1952: India and Pakistan played their inaugural Test series; on-field rivalry continued off-field mistrust.
• 1965 & 1971 wars: Cricketing relations frozen for more than a decade.
• 1980s–90s: Neutral-venue battles in Sharjah and Toronto attracted massive crowds but did little to improve relations.
• 1999 Kargil War: Bilateral cricket suspended once again.
• 2004 "Friendship Tour": India's historic Pakistan tour revived hopes, but optimism went with the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
• 2011 World Cup semi-final: Leaders Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani employed cricket as outreach, but steam ran out.
• 2012 series revival: Short three-match series in India, but no long-term follow-through.
• Pulwama 2019: Terror attack brought all bilateral match talk to a stop.
• 2009 Lahore attack: The Sri Lankan team was attacked, making Pakistan stand isolated from hosting world cricket for almost a decade.

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Why Cricket Diplomacy Failed Over Time

• Pakistan's consistent employment of terror as state policy discredited goodwill built through cricket.
• Each gesture of peace through sport was followed by terror attacks, nullifying trust.
• Indian citizens' emotional feelings following terror attacks have never been compatible with the perception of sporting relations.
• Security risks and Pakistan's unstable domestic situation rendered bilateral cricket unsustainable.

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While India accounts for almost 90 per cent of international cricket revenues, Pakistan is still in desperate need of India's involvement in bilateral series and ICC events. But as the Dubai encounter again reveals, cricket between the two countries is no longer a sport but is complicated by terrorism, diplomatic, and security issues. The Asia Cup 2025 match in Dubai can deliver exciting cricket, but it also highlights why the cricket diplomacy between Pakistan and India has been an experiment gone wrong for decades.