Won't play World Cup if government tells us not to, head Coach Ravi Shastri

Giving it all in the hands of BCCI to decide on the matter, coach Ravi Shastri has been of the opinion that they have all been well aware of what's going on around and he and his team would follow whatsoever would be instructed by the officials, even if would mean skipping the extravaganza two months later.

“It’s entirely left to the BCCI and the government. They know exactly what is happening and they will take a call. We will go by what they decide. If the government says it’s that sensitive you do not need to play the World Cup, I will go by my government,” said Ravi Shastri as quoted by Times Now.

The Pulwama terror attack on 14 February took away the lives of around 44 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans and left many injured, of which Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed the responsibility. There has since been a distinct call from all ends that included senior cricketers like Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh, who were keen to let India call off their World Cup league match against Pakistan, scheduled to be played in Manchester on 16 June.

The BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) had then reportedly drafted a letter to the ICC asking them to ban Pakistan from participating in the upcoming World Cup, on the charge of supporting terrorism in India. Meanwhile, ICC has scheduled a meeting in Dubai from February 27 and there are chances that the matter related to India vs Pakistan World Cup clash will be discussed on the sidelines.