Pakistan Great Recalls On-Field Spat With 'Good Friend' Gautam Gambhir In Asia Cup

With every passing hour, the anticipation for the India vs Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup 2025 is building rapidly. The political tensions between the two countries have made Sunday's fixture an even more intriguing affair. As pundits and analysts share their views on the high-profile fixture, former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal shared his insights into the fixture, while also issuing a word of caution to fans, who could be prone to falling deep into the emotions of the rivalry.

"These are tough times in India-Pakistan relations. It will be tense, and that is why there are fears. But I think it will get better only if the game goes well," he said.

Kamran also urged fans to behave properly once they are in the stadium. He said, "Fans should show a big heart and come together to enjoy the full match. It should be an atmosphere like in the past. I request fans not to cross the line, whether they are from Pakistan or India. They must make the match successful so that Indo-Pak matches continue."

India and Pakistan captains - Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha - were also asked about managing their players' emotions on the ground once the match starts. Both of them refused to put the curb on emotions, saying aggression is part of the game.

"Aggression is the beauty of an India-Pakistan match. How to take that aggression is the key. Respect should be there. Players will have to remember that cricket is a gentleman's game. If they keep that in mind, I am sure Sunday's match will go untroubled," he said.

"There was an 'A' team match in Oman last year where Sufiyan Muqeem and Abhishek Sharma had a verbal clash. Aggression will always be there, but it should be controlled," he added.

Kamran also recalled an India vs Pakistan Asia Cup match in 2010 when he and Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach of the Indian team, squared off on the field. But, the former wicket-keeper also revealed that it was a pure misunderstanding, post which they became good friends.

"It was a misunderstanding. Gautam is a very good person. We had toured Kenya together for an 'A' team event and became good friends. In that Asia Cup match, I appealed when he missed a shot. He was talking to himself about the miss, but I thought he said something to me. That's how the misunderstanding happened," he said.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Kamran Akmal Asia Cup 2025 Cricket