Star Sports removes Asia Cup promo featuring Shikhar Dhawan's message 'Never Lose to Pakistan'

Formerly a key figure in India's limited-overs squad, Shikhar Dhawan has been sidelined from the team for some time. His exclusion from the T20I side in 2021 and subsequent removal from the ODI team due to a series of underwhelming performances last year paved the way for Shubman Gill to stake his claim as Rohit Sharma's new opening partner ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

However, Dhawan's presence will still be felt in the upcoming Asia Cup, set to commence later this month in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, albeit in a different capacity. He is poised to join Star Sports' broadcasting team as an expert, as disclosed in a video shared by the network on Monday before its subsequent removal from social media platforms.

The now-deleted 56-second clip was accompanied by the caption: "Witness the passion and intensity of mother of all rivalries, India vs Pakistan through the eyes of @SDhawan25 and look what he has to say!"

In the video, the veteran Indian opener discusses the impending high-stakes clash in Pallekele next month, where the Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma, will face off against Babar Azam's squad. This encounter marks the first meeting between the arch-rivals since India's remarkable victory in Melbourne during the T20 World Cup last year.

During his discussion about the match, Dhawan reaffirms a sentiment shared among Indian cricket enthusiasts, emphasizing the significance of not succumbing to Pakistan, regardless of the World Cup outcome. He also reflects on his own experiences of facing Pakistan throughout his cricketing career.

He remarks, “It has always been the case of 'Whether or not you win the World Cup, don't lose to Pakistan' (laughs). But winning the World Cup is also important and by god's grace hopefully we will. There's definitely excitement (while playing Pakistan) but also a lot of pressure. There's definitely a satisfying feeling playing against them when the match ends. Whenever I have played Pakistan, we have won mostly. The intensity on the field is also high, but there's also some light chat with them.”

Star Sports, however, later removed the video from their Twitter handle, leaving fans wondering whether the host broadcaster themselves thought of the message as a little too bombastic.

Also watch: Rohit Sharma rates Pakistan's pace attack ahead of Asia Cup 2023