India spinning legend Harbhajan Singh says India should boycott their clash against Pakistan in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
The request for a boycott comes as a reaction to a Kashmir attack in Pulwama, which left more than 40 paramilitary police dead in the Indian-administered territory.
India has accused Pakistan from fuelling and supporting the attack, which has accelerated the tension between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Singh, who was extremely vocal on the matter, has called for India to boycott the Cricket World Cup group match that takes place in Manchester in June.
‘There is no need for any relations with Pakistan, let alone cricket,’ Singh told the Aaj Tak Hindi news channel on Monday.
‘Don’t play the World Cup match with Pakistan on 16 June – country comes first for all of us and we are all standing with our forces.
‘Pakistan has been promoting cross-border terrorism and this attack was unbelievably shocking.
‘I don’t care about losing points, as the Indian team is powerful enough to win the World Cup without playing Pakistan.’
Singh retired from Test cricket in 2015 still plays a vital role in the Indian Premier League.
He finished with 417 Test wickets, the second highest for an off-spinner.
Pakistan have denied any role in the attack.
Photo: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images