Indian cricket great Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday cleared the air and said that he would not be going to Pakistan for the swearing in of Prime Minister-to-be Imran Khan. Imran, the chairman of the political party PTI, had invited several former cricketers including Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Navjot Singh Sidhu. Both Kapil Dev and Sidhu have confirmed that they will be attending the event.
Speaking to a news channel, Gavaskar cited prior commitments to his unavailability at the swearing-in, but wished his former sporting colleague the best.
“Since independence, no Pakistani leader has experienced India as much as Imran Khan has. This is something that Pakistani leaders have not experienced in the past, and a new leadership could change a lot of things, at least that’s what I hope,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar added that it was a matter of pride that someone from the cricketing community had ended up leading a nation. He, however, dismissed any chances of him ever joining politics. “It’s not my thing. I have been approached to campaign in the past, but that’s something I will not enter,” he added.
Gavaskar and Imran Khan began their careers in 1971 and while Gavaskar retired in 1987, the Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician retired in 1992, soon after he led his team to World Cup glory. Both of them had some epic battles on the field, with Gavaskar writing a chapter on him in his book Idols. The final time the two of them squared off was in Gavaskar’s final Test in 1987. India lost that Test by 16 runs, but it will be remembered for Gavaskar’s 96 on a rank turner of a wicket in Bengaluru.
Imran Khan will be sworn in as Pakistan’s Prime Minister on August 18, four days after the Independence Day of that country.
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