“Many things should not have occurred…” - Arun Dhumal speaks up on IND vs PAK Asia Cup controversy

In his assessment of India's Asia Cup victory over Pakistan, Arun Dhumal, who was re-elected without opposition as chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council, said the team's mindset demonstrated "true leadership." He added that since the rivalry between India and Pakistan has changed, the excitement around their meetings has been exaggerated.

Additionally, he conveyed his dissatisfaction with the occurrences that occurred on and off the pitch, emphasising that they went against the spirit of cricket. Many things happened that, in my opinion, should not have occurred on the sporting field, but they did. Now, we should not dwell on what has already happened,” he remarked.

Given that the rivalry between the two cricketing titans has been tarnished by unsportsmanlike behaviour rather than praised for its spirit of competition, his stance underscores growing worries among cricket officials and fans.

Arun Dhumal expressed his opinion that the excitement surrounding India-Pakistan matches is frequently exaggerated. He emphasised that Pakistan no longer has the legendary players of the past, such as Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, and Wasim Akram, whose presence used to make these games historic.

“Many things happened that, in my opinion, should not have occurred on the sporting field, but they did. Now, we should not dwell on what has already happened. Once again, we congratulate the Indian team for their outstanding performance,” Arun Dhumal said. 

He underlined that matches against other cricketing superpowers like Australia, New Zealand, and England are much more competitive and put India's abilities to the test in all aspects. 

In an interview with IANS, Dhumal emphasised that while winning cricket matches is relatively simple, maintaining success at the highest level calls for perseverance, mental toughness, and teamwork, all of which India had shown during the competition.

He extended special praise to Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates, noting that their disciplined, world-class cricket during the tournament reaffirmed India’s T20 supremacy.

In a two-match Test series at home, Team India will now take against the West Indies. Between October 2 and October 6, Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium will host the first of the two Test matches.

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