The decision by Pakistan to boycott their match against India in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup has upset cricket commentators and fans in India with many of them blaming the Modi government for dragging politics into the gentleman’s game.

Pakistan’s decision to boycott the India match is a serious blow to the tournament because an India-Pakistan encounter is one of the biggest draws in global cricket, and its absence was seen as a significant blow to the tournament’s excitement and international appeal.

India’s opposition leader Shashi Tharoor criticised the politicisation of cricket and urged all parties concerned to “contact each other on an emergency basis.”

Tharoor said cricket is being politicised and noted that Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman should not have been denied his contract with Kolkata Knight Riders for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He said the whole T20 World Cup row is spiralling out of control after that decision.

“It is pretty disgraceful that sport has been politicised in this way … I don’t think that Mustafizur (Bangladeshi cricketer 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,” Indian media quoted Tharoor as saying.

“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,” Tharoor added.

The Indian media also analysed the decision from both a political and sporting angle, emphasising that while sports should remain separate from politics, the relationship between the two nations has made such decisions inevitable.

The media expressed concern about the potential long-term impact on the India-Pakistan cricketing rivalry, which had been one of the highlights of international tournaments like the World Cup.

Pakistan, who are scheduled to play all their matches in Sri Lanka, would forfeit two points if they boycotted the India match.

There was no clarity on what would happen should the neighbours meet in a knockout game.

The latest development is a continuation of the strained India-Pakistan relations, which manifested in last year’s Asia Cup in Dubai.

After the final in Dubai, Indian players declined to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts and also refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s cricket chief.