India, Sept. 13 -- Amid the ongoing row over tomorrow's India vs Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup, BJP MP and former sports minister Anurag Thakur clarified that while India may face Pakistan in multinational tournaments, India's stand on bilateral cricket ties remains unchanged.

Speaking to ANI, Thakur said that India's participation in such matches is driven by tournament rules, not a shift in its diplomatic and national policies.

"When multinational tournaments are organised by ACC or ICC, it becomes a compulsion, a necessity for nations to participate. If they don't do that, they will be eliminated from the tournament, they will have to forfeit the match, and the other team will get the points," said Thakur.

However, he was firm abou...