Stand with soldiers' families, cricket last thing on my mind: VVS Laxman at WION Global Summit

Former India batsman VVS Laxman has said it is more important to stand in solidarity with the families of the soldiers who were killed in the Pulwama terror attack than to discuss whether India should play Pakistan in the coming 2019 ICC World Cup.

The Hyderabad batsman's remark came as part of a chat at the WION Global Summit in Dubai with WION's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo. The chat was titled 'Is the ICC Cricket World Cup Headed back to South Asia?' and inevitably zeroed in on the ongoing speculation over whether India should boycott its fixture against Pakistan at the coming World Cup.

"We have to rally behind our security forces. In this time of mourning we have to stand with the families of the soldiers killed. We have to make sure that terrorists and terrorism end once and for all. And hence, cricket is the last thing on my mind," Laxman said. 

Though none of the bodies involved in the ongoing debate - BCCI and ICC - have formally commented on the possibility of a boycott, there have been vociferous calls calling for India to refuse to play Pakistan, even if it means forfeiting the points.

An India-Pakistan clash is not a possibility but an inevitability in the coming World Cup, considering it has been changed to a round robin format where each team will have to play every other team, like the 1992 World Cup. The India-Pakistan clash has been slated for June 16.

The possibility of India boycotting Pakistan arose after the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 Indian paramilitary personnel were killed in a suicide car bomb attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad, which is based in and is backed by Pakistan's military-intelligence cabal.