'The nation always comes first.'
Weeks after India’s players refused to face Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025, Harbhajan Singh has doubled down on his call to boycott cricket ties with the neighbours, saying a match is 'a very small matter' compared to the sacrifices of soldiers.
"They need to understand what is important and what is not… the soldier who stands on the border, whose family often doesn't get to see him, who sometimes sacrifices his life and never returns home. Their sacrifice is so immense… Compared to that, this is a very small thing, that we can't skip playing one cricket match," Harbhajan told The Times of India.
"Our government has the same stance, 'Khoon aur paani ek saath nahi beh sakte.' (blood and sweat cannot flow together). It cannot be the case that there's fighting on the border, tensions between the two nations, and we go to play cricket. Until these big issues are resolved, cricket is a very small matter. The nation always comes first," he added.
"Whatever our identity is, it's because of this country. Whether you are a player, an actor, or anyone else, no one is bigger than the nation. The country comes first, and the duties we owe to it must be fulfilled. Cricket match na khelna bahut maamuli si cheez hai desh ke saamne (Not playing a cricket match is nothing compared to the importance of the nation)," said the former India spinner, who has more than 400 Test wickets to his name.
"They need to understand what is important and what is not. This is as simple as that. For me, humare desh ka wo jawan jo sarhad par khada hua hai, unki families jo kayi baar unko nahi dekh paati hain, unki shahadat ho jaati hai, wo ghar wapas nahi laut paate hain - unki itni badi sacrifice hoti hai hum sabke liye. Toh ye to bahut chhoti si baat hai ki hum ek cricket match na chhod sakein (For me, the soldier who stands on the border, whose family often doesn't get to see him, who sometimes sacrifices his life and never returns home - their sacrifice is so immense for all of us)," he said.
"Humare sarhad pe bhai khade hue hain, jo hume protect kar rahe hain, humare desh ko protect kar rahe hain — unke hausle dekho, wo kitna bada dil leke waha pe khade hue hain. Aur unke parivaar par kya beetati hai jab wo ghar wapas nahi aate. Aur hum cricket khelne chale jaate hain (At the border, our brothers are standing, protecting us and our country. Look at their courage, the big hearts with which they serve. Think about what their families go through when they don't return home. And here we are, playing cricket)," he said.
Harbhajan also urged the media to stop giving Pakistan players and pundits airtime.
India and Pakistan are set to meet in the Asia Cup group stage in Dubai on September 14.
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