There should not be anything between India and Pakistan: Gautam Gambhir

India men's head coach Gautam Gambhir was asked about his opinion on whether or not India should continue engaging in any kind of cricket with Pakistan, following the inhumane attack on civilians in the Pahalgam valley. The Indian Head Coach gave his personal opinion on the issue and felt it was unnecessary for India to not just play cricket with Pakistan, but indulge in anything related to their neighbours.

As the international calendar is seeing a vacation amid the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025, Gambhir was seen attending a summit event in New Delhi on Tuesday, May 06 where he shared his take on what is more important - India-Pakistan matches or the national interest at large.

"My personal answer to this is absolutely no. Till all this (Terrorism) doesn't stop, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan," Gambhir told ABP. 

Nothing comes close to losing loved ones in your family: Gambhir

Gambhir agreed that he did not have control over the decision of the government. He claimed neither Bollywood nor cricket was important than the lives of the Indian citizens and soldiers. While he felt entertainment could continue with time, it had to be halted due to Pakistan's mischievous behaviour of promoting terrorism.

"Ultimately, this is government's decision whether we play them or not. I have said this before also, no cricket match or Bollywood or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens. Matches will keep happening, movies will be made, singers will continue to perform, but nothing comes close to losing a loved one in your family," the New Delhi-born added.

The 43-year-old felt it was the decision of the BCCI and the Indian Government on whether India are to play Pakistan in any sport. As a coach, he also feels such decisions are not under his jurisdiction and his opinions should never matter in taking the calls of national security.

"This is not up to me, it's not in my jurisdiction, this is for BCCI and more importantly, the government to decide whether we should play them or not. Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it," he said further.