Chetan Chauhan wants Pakistan to be thrown out of World Cup 2019

Cricketer-turned-politician Chetan Chauhan has taken a strong stand against Pakistan after the suicide terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir recently that killed over 44 CRPF jawans. The Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister has said India should put pressure on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to throw Pakistan out of the World Cup scheduled in England and Wales this year.

The 71-year-old former India opener said that the growing threat of terror from Pakistan is a problem for everyone and the country should be punished by not allowing it to take part in the WC that will kick off on May 30. India are scheduled to play Pakistan at Old Trafford on June 16 and voices have already surfaced seeking a boycott of the match by India. The arch-rivals do not play bilateral series and meet only in multilateral tournaments.

“World Cup, Olympics is decided years ahead. We don’t play a bilateral series with Pakistan. The best thing to do is to throw Pakistan out of the World Cup. Every country is worried about the growth of terrorism in Pakistan. It’s a problem for everyone. We should exert pressure on ICC to throw Pakistan out of the World Cup,” Chauhan said in an exclusive interview with Aaj Tak.

Pakistan’s absence in WC make no difference

Chetan Chauhan, who once opened with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar regularly and played 40 Tests and seven ODIs, said it did not matter if Pakistan are not in a WC but if India do not play, the ICC would suffer a massive revenue loss. “India brings in 65 to 70 per cent of the sponsorship,” the two-time MP and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party said.

Chauhan had earlier advised India to be cautious over taking a decision on not playing Pakistan in WC. He wanted the Indian government as well as the BCCI to treat the matter carefully saying not playing the game against Pakistan might affect India’s chances in the tournament. Each team will play nine matches in the round-robin format with the top four advancing to the semi-finals.

As per the ICC’s rules, India can not withdraw from or boycott the match against Pakistan without either forfeiting points or inviting sanctions. Former Team India member Harbhajan Singh was in favour of India not playing Pakistan in the WC as he felt Virat Kohli’s men are strong enough to win the title even without playing the arch-rivals.

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