Former India captain Sourav Ganguly made his stance clear and said that India and Pakistan should continue playing cricket. Ganguly added that there is no place for terrorism in the world, but sports must go on. Ganguly's remarks came after India and Pakistan were kept in the same group for the Asia Cup. The tournament was in jeopardy after the Pahalgam attack, and there were calls to boycott Pakistan in global events, but the BCCI agreed to play the Asia Cup despite massive criticism in India.

India, Pakistan, Oman, and UAE were clubbed in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Afghanistan were kept in Group B. The tournament would be played in the UAE, and India and Pakistan will clash on September 14. The two teams can face each other two more times should they qualify for the final.

"I am okay. The sport must go on. At the same time Pahalgam should not happen, but the sport must go on. Terrorism must not happen; it needs to be stopped. India took a strong stance towards terrorism but that's past... Sport needs to be played," Ganguly told ANI.

A BCCI source explained why the board can't withdraw from the Asia Cup. In an interview to IANS, the source revealed that India are the host of the Asia Cup, and it was too late to pull out.

"The BCCI cannot withdraw from the tournament or the match now. The decision was agreed upon after the ACC meeting. Since India is the host nation, nothing can be changed at this stage. An official-level discussion took place, and the outcome was decided accordingly. The match will go ahead as scheduled," BCCI sources told IANS on Sunday.

Meanwhile, India will open their Asia Cup campaign against UAE on September 10, and the final group game would be against Oman on September 19. The tournament will start on September 9, with the final on September 28.