October 19 Saturday 2002
Kapil backs India on severed links with Pakistan

BANGALORE: Legendary former Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev on Friday backed New Delhi's thorny decision not to resume sporting ties with Pakistan until tensions between the two rivals ended.

"Is the country important or playing cricket? To me, the country is more important than playing the game for the amusement of some," said Kapil.

Kapil, who is on a day's visit to this software hub of India, said although he wished the two nuclear South Asian rivals would mend ties, it was New Delhi's policy not to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan.

"Emotion is not more important than the country," said Kapil who scored 5,248 runs and took 434 wickets in 131 Tests during his illustrious 16-year career.

India and Pakistan last played cricket against each other in Bangladesh two years ago, but the Indian government rejected subsequent proposals to play Test and one-day series. Two years ago when India refused to tour Pakistan for a scheduled Test series, the Pakistan Cricket Board said it was deprived of 15 million dollars in revenue.

In July, Pakistan during International Cricket Council's (ICC) meeting in London, declid to accept the 10-year Test calendar till the governing body persuaded India to end its cricketing boycott of Pakistan.

India earlier this year had said it had no objection to India playing against Pakistan at multi-nation events like the World Cup, but ruled out Tests and one-day matches.

India are scheduled to play a league match against Pakistan in the World Cup in February-March next year. India and Pakistan played each other in the 1999 World Cup in England even when the Kargil conflict was at its height in Kashmir.