India men’s head coach Gautam Gambhir wants the nation to cut off all cricketing ties with Pakistan till the ‘cross-border terrorism is not over’. Although India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket since 2012, Gambhir’s comment included multi-nation tournaments like the ICC World Cups, where the countries meet regularly and often, too — which is a significant statement from someone in his position. Gambhir’s remark came in light of an ongoing ceasefire at the border after a week of high tensions following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, where 26 innocent Indians were killed. India had retaliated with unprecedented precision strikes on terror outfits inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, there has been a big question over tournaments like the 2025 Asia Cup and whether India will play in them. “This is my personal opinion,” Gambhir said in an exclusive interview with CNN-News18. “I have said it before as well — sport, Bollywood, artists, everything is not important. The only thing that’s important is the lives of our civilians and soldiers. There’s nothing bigger than that. Sport can take a backseat, Bollywood movies, artists and everything can take a backseat. My personal opinion is that till this cross-border terrorism is not over, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan. It’s not for the gallery. Trust me, it’s not for the gallery. I am not here to take all this applause. This is my personal opinion. BCCI or the government can have a completely different opinion on it.” When nudged about the fact that some people say India-Pakistan cricket is important for ‘TRP’ or TV viewership and sponsorships, Gambhir said it’s not more important than the lives of soldiers and the many victims of terrorism and conflict. India and Pakistan last played against each other in the 2025 Champions Trophy under Gambhir’s coaching. Pakistan was the official host, but India refused to play there and the matches were held in a hybrid mode. India went on to win the title in the UAE. It was Gambhir’s first trophy as the coach. The next ICC event between India and Pakistan is the 2025 Women’s World Cup followed by the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup.