"Its almost like India beating minnows": Manjrekar speaks why IND-PAK clash is a "non-event"

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 3 : Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said if the T20 World Cup group stage clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan does not happen, it is "no big deal" since the "actual game now never lives upto hype and drama".
He also added that with the way both teams stand now, it feels like India is "beating minnows" every time they win over Pakistan.
Manjrekar's statement comes after the Pakistan government boycotted the group stage T20 WC clash against the arch-rival. The Pakistan government said in a post on X on Sunday that the Pakistan team "shall not take the field" in the match against India without giving any reason. The match was scheduled for February 15. Pakistan is in Group A with India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA for the marquee tournament.
Taking to Instagram, Manjrekar said that both teams are "not in the same league anymore", and the teams like Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa produce matches with India that are worth watching, where beating an opponent feels really proud and the lack of an India-Pakistan fixture "is not going to bring down the value of the tournament" for him.
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"India-Pakistan match, if it does not happen, no big deal. Honestly, for a long time now, the actual game has never lived up to the hype and the drama we built up before the match. And the reason for that is obvious. It's that India and Pakistan are not in the same league anymore. Earlier, in the 90s and before, it was fun because Pakistan was a strong team. But not anymore. Now, when India beats Pakistan, it is almost like India is beating the minnows. Earlier, you could have felt good on beating Pakistan," he said.
"That's how Pakistan cricket has deteriorated. I saw that in the Asia Cup as well. You just have to compare the young players that come through the Indian cricket system versus the Pakistan cricket system. It's the difference between the earth and the sky," he added.
"If India-Pakistan does not happen in this world event, it is not a big deal because you still have Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa. Those are the matches to watch, and those are the teams that India needs to beat for us to feel proud about this Indian team. I think it is a non-event and is not going to bring down the value of the tournament," the former Indian batter signed off.
As per ESPNCricinfo, while the speculations are active about the sanctions PCB could face after the boycott of the marquee clash in the men's T20 WC, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to decide if a board meeting is needed to discuss the issue.
Any discussions of potential sanctions take place with the consultations with the 12 full member boards and three representatives of associate members alongside the ICC Chairman.
Till now, ICC has not given any alert of an emergency meeting to the board with PCB, indicating it is unlikely to respond officially in writing to the ICC on the boycott and on the reason behind the government's decision.
Following the third T20I against Australia on Sunday, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on the subject of the boycott of the India clash, "We are definitely going for the World Cup. That is not our decision. We cannot do anything. What our government, our PCB chairman (Mohsin Naqvi), say, we have to do that. So what they tell us, we will do that."
Notably, this comes just days after Bangladesh were recently replaced by Scotland in the tournament after they refused to play their matches in India following the release of pacer Mustafizur Rahman by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on instructions of the BCCI in light of atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
Hours after Pakistan decided to boycott its T20 World Cup group stage clash against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said that "selective participation" is not fair with the "fundamental premise of a global sporting event" and that it expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders.
ICC said in a release that it has noted the statement that the Government of Pakistan has made regarding the decision to instruct its national team to selectively participate in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
"While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule," the release said.
It said that ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions.
"While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan. The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country, as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, of which it is itself a member and beneficiary," the release said.
It said ICC's priority remains the successful delivery of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which should also be the responsibility of all its members, including the PCB.
"It expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders," the release said.
Pakistan has a terrible record against India in the ICC T20 World Cups. The two teams have played eight times, with the record standing at 7-1 in India's favour. In the Asia Cup last year, Pakistan were clean-swept by a clinical India in a trilogy of entertaining matches, including the final. Throughout these matches, young Indian stars Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma bullied Pakistan bowlers with their fiery knocks, with Tilak scoring a brilliant 69* during a tense 147-run chase in the final, showing his big-match temperament.
Pakistan announced its squad last month for the T20 World Cup, which is being hosted by India and Sri Lanka. They are placed in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA.
The Indian team is in terrific form ahead of the World Cup and won the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 4-1.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and the country's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, last month met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to brief him on the matter of the International Cricket Council (ICC) decision after Bangladesh refused to send its team to India over purported "security concerns".
ICC had last month announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule.
The announcement came after the ICC, in the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India, rejected the BCB's demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka in the 20-team tournament to be played from February 7 to March 8, according to a release.
The decision followed an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India.
Over a period of more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including meetings held both via video conference and in person.
As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state arrangements, as well as enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event.
These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board.
The ICC's assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India. In light of these findings and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule.
The ICC also noted the importance of preserving the integrity and sanctity of the tournament schedule, safeguarding the interests of all participating teams and fans, and avoiding the establishment of precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events.
Following its meeting, the ICC requested that the BCB confirm within 24 hours whether Bangladesh would participate in the tournament as scheduled. As no confirmation was received within the stipulated deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.
Scotland is the highest-ranked T20I side not to originally qualify for the tournament. They are currently ranked 14th, ahead of seven teams already in the tournament: Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, the United States of America (USA), Canada, Oman and Italy.
The defending champions, Team India, are slotted in Group A alongside Namibia, the Netherlands, the USA, and arch-rivals Pakistan.
The Men in Blue will play their opening fixture against the USA on February 7, followed by their match on February 12.
The Team India squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.