On neutral territory, we will play any country: CoA Chief Vinod Rai on cricket with Pakistan

[Abdullah719]

CoA Chief Vinod Rai interview:

SANDEEP DWIVEDI: There is a perception that as a sports administrator you have taken some populist measures. After the Pulwama attack, and before the World Cup, the BCCI wrote to the International Cricket Council to isolate Pakistan. You went on record to say that Pakistan should be treated the way South Africa was for Apartheid. ‘The present dispensation feels strongly about it because we reflect the sentiment of the nation. We are not a closed cricket community, we represent the nation,’ you said. But doesn’t this go against the Olympic Charter, where to play a sport is a human right?

I was coming to things step by step. Were you allowing Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League? You were not. Now, India was slated to play Pakistan on June 16… There was a rhetoric built up over here that India should refuse to play with Pakistan. People were saying it, the media was reporting it. The media was not cooking it up. The media reports, picks up news from the ground… There was a headline saying that the BCCI wants to go for revenues, and that is why they want to play Pakistan. I don’t want to name the television anchor… Now, faced with such a situation, what was my reaction? If we don’t play Pakistan (in the World Cup), we lose one point, two points, and that doesn’t matter. But suppose Pakistan comes up in the semi-final and we withdraw. Isn’t that shooting yourself in the foot? We would be closing avenues for ourselves. Which, I thought, was an incorrect move. So I said, rather than shooting ourselves in the foot, let’s isolate them.

DAKSH PANWAR: Going back to the previous question, and just to make it clear, are you in favour of isolating Pakistan in cricket?

No. As I said I was taking a position to counter the rhetoric which had gained momentum in the public domain. That’s all. On playing Pakistan, I think there is a government policy…that you can play on neutral territory, and not on each other’s… We are very clear in our minds that on neutral territory we will play any country.

https://indianexpress.com/article/s...up-loss-would-be-incorrect-vinod-rai-6016895/

 

[Bewal Express]

This is akin to a guy saying i dont believe in sex before marriage except at the weekends.

 

[warcry]

engaging in cricket with india, is akin to playing cricket with apartheid south africa or israel.

 

[moghul]

This is akin to a guy saying i dont believe in sex before marriage except at the weekends.

What an idiot.

 

[Bewal Express]

What an idiot.

Me or the Ind?

 

[Mueez]

Ok, let’s play in England?

Full stadiums and great revenue.

When is the series happening?

 

[Khan12]

No thanks for the offer.

 

[Rana]

Yeah right.

So that means Pakistan will play India in Sri Lanka at the next WC?

 

[Savak]

Lol, yeah sure. Will believe it when i see it.

 

[Mamoon]

No thanks. We need to hold onto our dignity.

There is absolutely no need for Pakistan to humiliate itself by getting hammered by India. If BCCI are looking for easy wins, they should arrange a series with Sri Lanka or Afghanistan.

 

[Bewal Express]

No thanks. We need to hold onto our dignity.

There is absolutely no need for Pakistan to humiliate itself by getting hammered by India. If BCCI are looking for easy wins, they should arrange a series with Sri Lanka or Afghanistan.

Look at the record, we are ahead in both tests and odis. That record will not be broken by your Hindutuva. So suck it up loser.

 

[Khan12]

Look at the record, we are ahead in both tests and odis. That record will not be broken by your Hindutuva. So suck it up loser.

Excellent reply.

 

[Kaptan]

Look at the record, we are ahead in both tests and odis. That record will not be broken by your Hindutuva. So suck it up loser.

Is it really necessary to bring religion into every topic ?

 

[Saj]

Shouldn't it say apart from Pakistan at the end of the statement?

 

[Bewal Express]

Is it really necessary to bring religion into every topic ?

I am fan of many Ind cricketers and as I have explained before I have nothing against Inds and Hindus. But I am sick and tired of this loser trying to show his loyalty to the this ideology and he needed a reply.

 

[Mueez]

No thanks. We need to hold onto our dignity.

There is absolutely no need for Pakistan to humiliate itself by getting hammered by India. If BCCI are looking for easy wins, they should arrange a series with Sri Lanka or Afghanistan.

Who knows we improve our performances against India by playing them regularly?

After all the winner of India vs Pakistan matches is the one who copes with pressure with ease.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Look at the record, we are ahead in both tests and odis. That record will not be broken by your Hindutuva. So suck it up loser.

Look at the current rankings and the trend, stop living in the past and bringing religion into everything.

 

[Bewal Express]

Look at the current rankings and the trend, stop living in the past and bringing religion into everything.

Cricket is all about its history and our record of being ahead is there for posterity.

 

[FreePalestine]

I’m very sorry to say there is constant bile and hatred spewing out of India for Pakistan at the moment in all spheres of public life. Glad to see some Indians on this forum who do not seem to endorse this wave of anti-Pak sentiment... but Modi’s landslide victory and the hatred on all the Indian news channels does not bode well for the future

 

[Mamoon]

Look at the record, we are ahead in both tests and odis. That record will not be broken by your Hindutuva. So suck it up loser.

When you don’t have a present or a future, the only thing you can do is talk about the past. Keep counting Pakistan’s wins over India in Tests and ODIs while India leaves Pakistan cricket in its dust.

As a cricket nation, India surpassed Pakistan long time ago and your attitude illustrates why.

 

[Mamoon]

Who knows we improve our performances against India by playing them regularly?

After all the winner of India vs Pakistan matches is the one who copes with pressure with ease.

That was true in the 90’s and early 2000’s, which is why we bested them mostly but bottled it in big games. However, at the moment, the gulf between the sides in terms of talent and overall quality is too huge. It is not just about pressure anymore.

India needs to have a complete meltdown like the Champions Trophy Final to lose to us. They are simply far superior and will beat us easily even if they perform at 70%.

 

[Cricketrenew]

I think both sides should play on a neutral planet instead.
Cause it ain't going to happen on earth.

 

[Finisher]

When you don’t have a present or a future, the only thing you can do is talk about the past. Keep counting Pakistan’s wins over India in Tests and ODIs while India leaves Pakistan cricket in its dust.

As a cricket nation, India surpassed Pakistan long time ago and your attitude illustrates why.

Ain't you the same person that keeps on talking about 1971 pak-India war

 

[Bewal Express]

When you don’t have a present or a future, the only thing you can do is talk about the past. Keep counting Pakistan’s wins over India in Tests and ODIs while India leaves Pakistan cricket in its dust.

As a cricket nation, India surpassed Pakistan long time ago and your attitude illustrates why.

Ind didn't win the WC so it didn't leave anyone in the dust. Only in your world is it leaving PK for dust, It got smashed 4-1 in England, and scraped past an Aussie team without Smith and Warner. Cricket is about its history, so suck it up. Our record will be forever superior.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Are the ICC going to take points of India for not playing Pakistan in the test championship?

So this clown is saying 'you are killing our people but in a neutral venue its fine, we dont care'. Perhaps he worried the RSS would start digging up pitches in India.

 

[moghul]

Me or the Ind?

This guy Vinod Rai, obviously

 

[Rana]

Ind didn't win the WC so it didn't leave anyone in the dust. Only in your world is it leaving PK for dust, It got smashed 4-1 in England, and scraped past an Aussie team without Smith and Warner. Cricket is about its history, so suck it up. Our record will be forever superior.

Perfect response

 

[cricketjoshila]

Cricket is all about its history and our record of being ahead is there for posterity.

Lol. Cricket is not about history, else WI will claim to be the best.

 

[Pete Rose]

Look at the current rankings and the trend, stop living in the past and bringing religion into everything.

We are rubbish in this era.

 

[BaankeJi]

Once Pakistan agrees, India will start playing.

 

[Mamoon]

Ind didn't win the WC so it didn't leave anyone in the dust. Only in your world is it leaving PK for dust, It got smashed 4-1 in England, and scraped past an Aussie team without Smith and Warner. Cricket is about its history, so suck it up. Our record will be forever superior.

My world is the real world, your world, where Pakistan and India are on equal footing, is called cuckoo land.

Indian cricket has gone up several notches since the turn of the millennium and we have failed to catch up and end our stagnation.

The Test and ODI rankings in the last 15 years, the W/L ratio against the top sides, the individual player records, the reputation of players the and overall performances in World Cups shows that Indian cricket has completely left Pakistan cricket behind.

Also the gap between IPL and PSL illustrates the gulf between the two cricket nations now.

India is now an elite team while Pakistan is a middling side. The difference between the stature of two teams today couldn’t be more stark.

You can live in delusion if it helps you feel better about yourself and the team you support. I love Pakistan cricket too but in my own way, and I will never let my love get in the way of facts.

There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that India is far, far ahead of Pakistan now and is clearly a much bigger cricket nation.

If you were neutral or Indian, would you still say that India hasn’t left Pakistan behind? There lies your answer. Take off the green-tinted glasses and you will see the reality.

 

[Bewal Express]

My world is the real world, your world, where Pakistan and India are on equal footing, is called cuckoo land.

Indian cricket has gone up several notches since the turn of the millennium and we have failed to catch up and end our stagnation.

The Test and ODI rankings in the last 15 years, the W/L ratio against the top sides, the individual player records, the reputation of players the and overall performances in World Cups shows that Indian cricket has completely left Pakistan cricket behind.

Also the gap between IPL and PSL illustrates the gulf between the two cricket nations now.

India is now an elite team while Pakistan is a middling side. The difference between the stature of two teams today couldn’t be more stark.

You can live in delusion if it helps you feel better about yourself and the team you support. I love Pakistan cricket too but in my own way, and I will never let my love get in the way of facts.

There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that India is far, far ahead of Pakistan now and is clearly a much bigger cricket nation.

If you were neutral or Indian, would you still say that India hasn’t left Pakistan behind? There lies your answer. Take off the green-tinted glasses and you will see the reality.

After all the hype Ind didnt win the WC. They are not super men, they are good team but with all their resources you would expect that.So where is this great superiority? Our record will always be superior in both forms and that will never change. You need to suck it up.

 

[Mamoon]

After all the hype Ind didnt win the WC. They are not super men, they are good team but with all their resources you would expect that.So where is this great superiority? Our record will always be superior in both forms and that will never change. You need to suck it up.

They are not supermen but they are a fantastic team and clearly better than Pakistan. They have been at the top of the rankings in Test cricket longer than anyone in this decade.

A semifinal exit in a World Cup is far from a bad result, and the fact that you consider it a failure on India’s part shows how highly you rate them, even if your ego doesn’t allow you to admit it.

Our H2H record will always be superior because India is not bothered about it. If they were, they could have thrashed us a billion times in this decade. A full series every other year in this decade and the H2H record wouldn’t have looked so pretty.

You can take pride in H2H record but ultimately it has no significance. The West Indies still beats most teams on H2H but doesn’t anyone care? No.

 

[Bewal Express]

They are not supermen but they are a fantastic team and clearly better than Pakistan. They have been at the top of the rankings in Test cricket longer than anyone in this decade.

A semifinal exit in a World Cup is far from a bad result, and the fact that you consider it a failure on India’s part shows how highly you rate them, even if your ego doesn’t allow you to admit it.

Our H2H record will always be superior because India is not bothered about it. If they were, they could have thrashed us a billion times in this decade. A full series every other year in this decade and the H2H record wouldn’t have looked so pretty.

You can take pride in H2H record but ultimately it has no significance. The West Indies still beats most teams on H2H but doesn’t anyone care? No.

Nothing fantastic- just good. They lost in SA and Eng, narrowly beat an Aus team that didnt have their 2 best bats and didnt win the WC. Nothing fantastic

 

[Bewal Express]

They are not supermen but they are a fantastic team and clearly better than Pakistan. They have been at the top of the rankings in Test cricket longer than anyone in this decade.

A semifinal exit in a World Cup is far from a bad result, and the fact that you consider it a failure on India’s part shows how highly you rate them, even if your ego doesn’t allow you to admit it.

Our H2H record will always be superior because India is not bothered about it. If they were, they could have thrashed us a billion times in this decade. A full series every other year in this decade and the H2H record wouldn’t have looked so pretty.

You can take pride in H2H record but ultimately it has no significance. The West Indies still beats most teams on H2H but doesn’t anyone care? No.

As far as the record goes- it gives me great pleasure and always will.

 

[Khan12]

They are not supermen but they are a fantastic team and clearly better than Pakistan. They have been at the top of the rankings in Test cricket longer than anyone in this decade.

A semifinal exit in a World Cup is far from a bad result, and the fact that you consider it a failure on India’s part shows how highly you rate them, even if your ego doesn’t allow you to admit it.

Our H2H record will always be superior because India is not bothered about it. If they were, they could have thrashed us a billion times in this decade. A full series every other year in this decade and the H2H record wouldn’t have looked so pretty.

You can take pride in H2H record but ultimately it has no significance. The West Indies still beats most teams on H2H but doesn’t anyone care? No.

A fantastic team who hasn't won anything other then beating a week Australia team without 2 of their best bats and one being pretty much the greatest test batsmen ever. I know you downgrade us all the time and worship India but please let them win more then praise them.

 

[Rana]

No thanks. We need to hold onto our dignity.

There is absolutely no need for Pakistan to humiliate itself by getting hammered by India. If BCCI are looking for easy wins, they should arrange a series with Sri Lanka or Afghanistan.

Must you always comment on anything India-Pak related to insight a hateful response? Do you enjoy it?

 

[Pakhs]

Lol. Cricket is not about history, else WI will claim to be the best.

Okay then no point bringing past matches - who knows what going to happen next time Pakistan play India in an ICC final in any case Pakistan won the last one. Indian team is good at winning group stages matches these days not only against Pakistan but against everyone and then bottle it in must win finals.

 

[Afhan Ali]

They are not supermen but they are a fantastic team and clearly better than Pakistan. They have been at the top of the rankings in Test cricket longer than anyone in this decade.

A semifinal exit in a World Cup is far from a bad result, and the fact that you consider it a failure on India’s part shows how highly you rate them, even if your ego doesn’t allow you to admit it.

Our H2H record will always be superior because India is not bothered about it. If they were, they could have thrashed us a billion times in this decade. A full series every other year in this decade and the H2H record wouldn’t have looked so pretty.

You can take pride in H2H record but ultimately it has no significance. The West Indies still beats most teams on H2H but doesn’t anyone care? No.

In 90s we were ahead of India and today India is ahead of us
In future we may again will go ahead of India

 

[Afhan Ali]

A fantastic team who hasn't won anything other then beating a week Australia team without 2 of their best bats and one being pretty much the greatest test batsmen ever. I know you downgrade us all the time and worship India but please let them win more then praise them.

They were 3/4 in world cup and we were at no 5 just because of NRR
We are equal in ODIs

 

[Pakhs]

Back to point no need to play each other for now - the situation is way to complex for a cricket match which only 8 countries in the world care about. Its more headache than its worth.

 

[Afhan Ali]

India is superior to us just in home test series

They lose to England but we draw there.
They beat Australia B team (Every team is B team without ATG like Smith), we will also beat Australia if they play without Smith and Warner.

They lose to SA so as we

 

[Abdullah719]

No cricket with Pakistan, says India

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nat...0919/no-cricket-with-pakistan-says-india.html