Shashi Tharoor reacts to Pakistan's boycott threat [Source: @KHURAPATT, @iamAhmadhaseeb/X.com]The India vs Pakistan match at the T20 World Cup 2026 has become a huge controversy as Pakistan has announced that it will boycott the match. What was supposed to be a huge cricket match has now turned into a political blunder.Former players, officials, and politicians have reacted sharply to this. Among them, Indian MP Shashi Tharoor has delivered one of the sharpest responses, calling the situation embarrassing and harmful for the sport. Shashi Tharoor slams Pakistan for the boycottCongress politician Shashi Tharoor openly criticised Pakistan’s decision to skip the match against India. He said cricket was being dragged into politics unnecessarily. According to him, the entire episode is pretty disgraceful.Tharoor stressed that cricket should unite people, not divide them. He urged all stakeholders to speak to each other immediately. He also said the ICC should step in and act as a neutral platform."I think we need to really need to come to an understanding that sports, especially a sport like Cricket which means so much to all the people, should be a means of bringing us together at least on the playing field, rather than allowing this to go on like this. I honestly think this is now a wake up call for all concerned to contact each other on an emergency basis, the ICC could be the platform for it, just say, let's call off this nonsense. You can't go on like this forever,” Tharoor told Economic Times.Referring to the Mustafizur Rahman episode, Tharoor said the Bangladeshi pacer should not have been denied his IPL contract. He felt Bangladesh’s reaction was excessive but admitted it reflected the same politicisation. Shashi Tharoor warned that Pakistan's backing of Bangladesh has made matters worse."It is pretty disgraceful that sport has been politicised in this way on both sides, frankly. I don't think that Mustafizur [Rahman] should have been denied his contract to play in Kolkata. It was most unfortunate. Intrusion of politics, I think the Bangladeshi reaction was an overreaction but it is also a reflection of the same and Pakistan is trying to show its solidarity with Bangladesh. This whole thing is spiralling out of control,” he added.Reactions from India and financial falloutApart from Shashi Tharoor, several Indian voices reacted sharply to Pakistan’s move. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said the board supports the ICC’s stand. Harbhajan Singh mocked Pakistan and called the situation illogical.The financial impact could be severe as well. Reports suggest both India and Pakistan may lose around ₹200 crore if the match is cancelled. For Pakistan, the risk is much higher. The PCB earns a fixed share of ICC revenue. That income depends on full participation.Experts believe this controversy could have long-term effects. Many fear that mixing politics with cricket will only lead to more damage. As Shashi Tharoor said, the game deserves better. PCB yet to write formally to ICCThat being said, the PCB is yet to formally communicate its decision to boycott the India match to the ICC, keeping the situation unchanged. Despite reports, no ICC Board meeting has taken place so far. According to Cricbuzz, the only written indication of Pakistan’s stance is a social media post by the government, which is not considered official communication. The ICC has already made its position clear, stating that selective participation goes against the principles of fairness and integrity. The board has clearly stated that it respects governments but this is not in the best interest of cricket.It also hinted at possible consequences if the issue is not resolved soon. With two weeks left for the scheduled match in Colombo, the ICC expects a formal response from the PCB.
