Asia Cup: MMA fighter Ishika Thite urges fans to "keep supporting" ahead of India-Pakistan Super Four clash

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], September 21 (ANI): As India and Pakistan gear up to face each other in their opening Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Sunday, professional MMA fighter Ishika Thite shared her thoughts on the high-voltage encounter.

“There is always a great enthusiasm for India vs Pakistan matches. I am not watching it much this year, in light of the attack (Pahalgam). But sport is sport, so keep supporting,” Thite said.

This is the second clash between these two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack in April and the consequent launching of Operation Sindoor by the Indian Armed Forces against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in May. India won the first clash one-sided, carrying out a comfortable chase of 128 runs with seven wickets in hand and spinner Kuldeep Yadav played a crucial hand with a ‘Player of the Match’ winning bowling spell of 3/18, which restricted Pakistan to 127/9.

However, just like it is with a lot of India-Pakistan clashes, the real ‘Masala’ was produced off the field, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walking off the field after the win without shaking hands with the Pakistani side, with the TV visuals even showing the Men in Blue shutting their door on Pakistan. The Indian captain dedicated the win to the Indian armed forces and expressed solidarity with the Pahalgam terror attack victims.

Following Surya’s post-match interview, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha did not attend the post-match presentation, and coach Mike Hesson was sent to face the press. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) later filed a complaint against Pycroft, alleging him of ‘violation of ICC Code of Conduct’ and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) laws related to the spirit of cricket.

Ahead of their next clash against the UAE, Pakistan cancelled their pre-match presser. On the day of the match, the team locked themselves inside the hotel, with PCB threatening to pull out of the tournament if Pycroft was not removed from the tournament. The match was delayed for an hour and, after a meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team’s leadership group, the match went ahead, and Pakistan won to march to the Super Four stage. Notably, ahead of this India clash too, Pakistan cancelled its pre-match presser.

Notably, it emerged later, as per ESPNCricinfo, that Pycroft was made aware of the ‘no handshake’ between both captains just ‘four minutes ahead of the toss’ by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) venue manager, and he was barely a messenger and not the one behind the instruction. Also, soon after Pycroft’s meeting with the Pakistan party, PCB released a statement claiming an apology came from the match referee. ICC is believed to be unhappy with it, and the idea of a response “clarifying” the situation was discussed, though it is still uncertain if it would be made. PCB also released a short video of the meeting despite concerns raised during it that a video would be recorded. The video was allowed to be posted without an audio.

With so much having taken place off the field, the controversy no doubt would be on the back of the minds of both skippers to some extent. While India will continue playing its ruthless brand of cricket like they have for past few months, Pakistan, a highly unpredictable T20I side, could use this entire episode as a fuel to perhaps spring up a few surprises and play much better. (ANI)

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