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BJP MP Shashank Mani on Monday called Pakistan 'rannchhod' as they have "run away" from the field by boycotting its match against India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Speaking with ANI, BJP MP Shashank Mani said, "When a player realises that they cannot win, they run away from the field. They are 'rannchhodd', they have run away from the field. If you are participating in a championship, you should play without any discrimination. We defeated them in Operation Sindoor and other wars. We would have defeated them here too. So, they are not even playing." Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq said Pakistan should not be allowed to play against India. "When we were in conflict with Pakistan, a Cricket match was held later. I had said, why is the match being held if we have severed all relations with them...I believe that everything should be done for the nation. Let them not play. We stand with our nation." This comes after Pakistan decided to boycott its group-stage match against India in the ICC World T20 World Cup, scheduled for February 15. The Pakistan government said in a post on X that the Pakistan team "shall not take the field" in the match against India. In an X post on Sunday, the Government of Pakistan stated, "The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026; however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India." The Pakistan government did not give any reason for its decision not to play against India. The Indian team is in terrific form ahead of the World Cup and won the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 4-1. 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. Pakistan's decision came after the 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. Bangladesh's refusal to travel to India for the T20 World Cup came after Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was expelled from the IPL 2026 squad of Kolkata Knight Riders following the BCCI's directive amidst violence against minorities in Bangladesh. (ANI)
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