When Shashank Manohar took over the BCCI, he refused to let the Indian cricket team play the bilateral series against Pakistan in UAE. This led to a huge uproar over social media, with many viewing this move as a larger diplomatic stand that India takes against Pakistan, dragging sports into politics.
Anurag Thakur, current secretary of the BCCI, in a candid interview with the Indian Express, answered questions about this controversy recently.
[envoke_twitter_link]For Thakur, on a very personal level, he would like the bilateral series to happen[/envoke_twitter_link], but he also believes that forcing a series down the throats of dissenting elements is not possible. He also pointed out that India will be playing Pakistan in the Asia cup, and on the international forum India will play Pakistan and will abide by international sports rules.
But, with regards to playing within India, he believes that [envoke_twitter_link]the problem is massive and sports can’t be dissected from politics[/envoke_twitter_link], for many reasons. Watch Thakur’s tete-a-tete here:
