For BCCI, country comes first: Arun Dhumal

New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Arun Dhumal, who continued to serve as the Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman, shared his thoughts on the recently concluded India-Pakistan Asia Cup final, stating that the Men in Blue played outstanding cricket and demonstrated they are the best T20I side in the world.

He noted that while reaching the top spot is easy, maintaining the top position for a long time is a difficult task, and the Indian team achieved that.

"Reaching the top is very easy, but maintaining that position is a very difficult task. India was the No. 1 team in T20s, and the way they performed brilliantly throughout the tournament, winning all their matches convincingly, I want to congratulate the Indian team for that.

"Special congratulations to Suryakumar Yadav and all the team members who played outstanding cricket. By winning the championship, they have shown the world that they are the best team in the world," Dhumal told IANS.

Asked if a bilateral series between India and Pakistan could be on the cards anywhere in the future, he said:

“See, it is the decision of the Government of India that we will not play a bilateral series with Pakistan, and we fully support this decision. Regarding this matter, the BCCI will align with the government’s stance. For the BCCI, the country comes first, and cricket comes next.”

He also believes that the hype surrounding the India-Pakistan matches has been ‘exaggerated’ and that the Pakistani team no longer has influential players like in earlier times, when any cricket fan would rate top players like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar highly.

“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.”

“I believe the hype around India-Pakistan matches has been exaggerated. As has been said before, these contests are no longer what they once were. If you ask any Indian to name 24 Pakistani players, they probably won’t remember. In the past, names like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar would come to mind, but they are no longer there.

“I also believe that matches against countries like England, New Zealand, or Australia are far more competitive. Since Pakistan is our neighbour, and our relations are sometimes tense, the media tends to create extra hype,” he added.

Dhumal also said that the Indian team is capable of beating any of the world’s best teams and that the talent pool that the Indian squad has can not be found anywhere else.

"Even against teams that play exceptionally well, our performance has been commendable. So, we should not give this match undue hype. We are definitely capable of beating any of the world’s best teams—not just our A or C teams, but with the strength we have today, the world does not have such talent anywhere else. This should make us proud, and we should also appreciate and congratulate the players who delivered such outstanding performances," Dhumal further said.

-- IANS

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