Kapil Dev Reacts to Pakistan’s India Match Boycott Ahead of T20 World Cup

The news of Pakistan's decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India has shocked everyone. Pakistan has declared that they will be participating in the tournament, but they won't be playing against India on February 15th, as declared on Sunday. This decision was taken after Bangladesh was eliminated from the tournament, as the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected their request to shift their matches from India due to security reasons. Now, former Indian cricket captain, the legendary Kapil Dev, has made a big statement about this incident, as well as its consequences.

Speaking to NDTV, Kapil Dev said that if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to boycott the match, it would damage Pakistan's reputation and harm the country's current cricketers. He said that if the players made the decision, they could have come forward and said so. However, if the board says they won't play, it diminishes the country's reputation.

He said that this doesn't look good for Pakistan. "You are destroying a generation. Pakistan has given us great talent over the years. But if you don't allow these boys to play in the World Cup, you are destroying a generation and harming the game. You are doing an injustice to your own players."

The ICC has expressed concern over Pakistan's decision and asked them to reconsider their stance, as it could have long-term consequences for cricket in the country. Kapil said that if the match doesn't happen, the spectators will be sad, but if Pakistan persists with its decision to boycott the match against India, it will lose its fans and supporters.

This will affect the spectators' emotions and will not be remembered for long. People will not think about it for long and will move on.