Asia Cup 2025, IND vs PAK: 'Separate sports and politics' - Indian team unshattered by public sentiments

There has been a strong sentiment of patriotism flowing among the people of India, as the BCCI has followed the Indian government's orders to go ahead with the proceedings of the much-hyped clash against the arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday, September 14. Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate was available for a media address on Saturday, confirming that the match will go as planned.

When asked about sports being used as a medium to display public and national sentiments and emotions at large, ten Doeschate was of the opinion that sports and politics should always be kept as two separate things. He further solidified his claim, saying that the Indian team and the players are not at fault as they are simply following the BCCI orders, which they were eventually passed after heavy consultation with the Government of India.

"The other side of the argument is that you separate sports and politics, and people have got different opinions on that. And hopefully the way we play can represent how the players feel about the country. And I understand the position and like I explained the sentiment, but we are following the direction of what the BCI and the Indian government have decided is right for the country at the moment," the assistant coach told reporters on the eve of the high-octane clash.

India likely to go ahead with unchanged line-up

Meanwhile, ten Doeschate also spoke about the Indian team's batting unit for the upcoming clash, especially the batters in the middle-order. He hinted that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side might go unchanged from their line-up against the UAE in their first group stage fixture. As a result, the chances of Arshdeep making it into the Playing XI, which was questioned by many, seems unlikely for the Pakistan clash as well.

India likely Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy