“My opinion does not matter and should not matter”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

India captain Virat Kohli has said that his “opinion does not matter” when it comes to playing Pakistan in bilateral series.

Kohli’s remarks come after India began their Champions Trophy campaign by thrashing Pakistan by 124 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in their rain-affected clash at Edgbaston on Sunday.

While the 28-year-old does “enjoy” playing against his country’s arch-rivals, he added that the decision regarding bilateral series between the two nations should be left to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“This one’s done and dusted,” Kohli said. “We’ve played the game. It’s been completed fully. And as cricketers, those things are not in our hands. We come here to play the sport. And that’s all we focus on. It’s not my place to speak of any other decisions. The higher officials take care of those decisions. My opinion does not matter and should not matter.

“But regardless of who you play, you just want to play cricket. At the end of the day, for us, it’s just playing the sport we love. It’s not preferences over opposition. And that’s all I can say to this. You do enjoy playing against them. They’re a very competitive side. The atmosphere is great. From that regard, as a cricketer, we really enjoyed this game, that’s all I can say.”

India and Pakistan last played a bilateral series in 2012, but the last time they played Test matches against each other was all the way back in 2007.