Heat in Dubai: BCCI Acting Prez Shukla Forced to Boycott India–Pakistan Tie?

Read Time:1 Minute, 37 Second

India may have crushed Pakistan by seven wickets, but the victory has done little to calm the storm of anti-sentiment back home. For many die-hard fans, the very act of playing against Pakistan remains unacceptable. The sight of Indian players walking off without shaking hands with their rivals only added fuel to the fire, sparking fierce debate over sportsmanship and national pride.

So strong was the backlash that BCCI’s acting president Rajeev Shukla, despite being in Dubai, chose not to step inside the stadium. Sources say he feared facing the wrath of an already agitated fan base, which continues to question the need for India-Pakistan cricket ties, no matter the outcome on the field. It has also come to light that board officials mutually decided to boycott the match, a directive that explains their conspicuous absence from the stands.

When CricBlogger tried to reach out to Shukla, he was unavailable for comment. Interestingly, none of the other board officials were spotted at the venue either, underlining the sensitive nature of the contest. “Shukla was in Dubai but the fear of backlash was huge and no one wanted to risk it,” a source said.

The silence marks a striking contrast to the Asia Cup last year, when Shukla personally led a high-profile BCCI delegation to Lahore, projecting cricketing ties as a bridge of diplomacy. This time, however, the same official chose to remain behind the scenes, wary of fan anger and the political undertones surrounding the fixture.

With Pakistan no longer able to truly compete on the field and the rivalry drowned in endless debates over sportsmanship and national pride, the “mother of all battles” feels like little more than a relic of the past. Once a spectacle that stopped two nations in their tracks, it now lies reduced to ashes — stripped of its unpredictability, starved of genuine rivalry, and remembered more for its baggage than its brilliance.