Asia Cup 2025, Sept. 13 -- Amid the ongoing row over the high-voltage India-Pakistan match of Asia Cup scheduled for Saturday, BJP MP and former sports minister Anurag Thakur stepped in to settle the debate, reiterating that India's stance on bilateral cricket remains unchanged.

Thakur told ANI that India's participation is a matter of tournament rules, not diplomacy. "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...," he explained.

"But India doesn't play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan. We have made this decision...