Sunil Gavaskar trolls Pakistan's India boycott; says a U-turn awaits soon

In his evaluation of Pakistan's decision to boycott India's match at the T20 World Cup 2026, batting great Sunil Gavaskar did not hold back. He suggested that, similar to their retired cricketers who regularly reverse decisions, Pakistan might also be forced to make a U-turn under pressure from voices within the game, both domestically and internationally.

Former India captain believes Pakistan could possibly make a U-turn on their decision to boycott the IND Vs PAK clash. In a statement released on Sunday, the Pakistani government declared that they will not be taking part in the match on February 15. Gavaskar remarked that as with Pakistan cricketers and their retirements, the decision could always be overturned.

Talking to India Today’s sister channel AajTak, Gavaskar took a blow at Pakistan, commenting that Pakistani cricketers have created a precedent by constantly going back on significant decisions – an indirect jab at the likes of Shahid Afridi, who repeatedly announced retirements only to reverse them.

“I think in the next four or five days, when reactions start pouring in from across the world and even from their former players, there is a possibility that Pakistan will change their stance. What’s new in this? We all know Pakistan cricketers retire and then, four days later, take back their retirement, saying ‘our fans told us to play more’. This might happen again,” Gavaskar told Aaj Tak.

Citing the retirement example, Gavaskar claimed that fans could force the Pakistan government and board to rethink their decision.

“What’s the problem with making U-turns in your decisions? There’s no issue, as far as I know. Pakistan players have set examples. They keep coming back from retirement. So something like that might happen before the 15th,” he added.

Sunil Gavaskar called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to punish Pakistan severely for their abrupt boycott of the match against India. The incident occurred after Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the competition, and Scotland took their place.

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