Virat Kohli breaks silence on BCCI's Pakistan World Cup boycott attempt
Virat Kohli will back whatever decision his cricket board and government make over a mooted boycott of India's World Cup clash with Pakistan.
Australia begin a limited-overs tour of India with a Twenty20 in Vizag that starts on Monday at 12:30am (AEDT).
But all the talk leading up to the series in Kohli's homeland has revolved around how the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will respond to a suicide-bomber attack in Kashmir that killed 40 Indian paramilitary troops.
The worst attack in Kashmir since the start of the century has resulted in an escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan.
Kohli said he will back his country's stance on boycotting the match against Pakistan Getty
Some fans and former players have called on India to boycott their June 16 match against Pakistan, which is one of the most-anticipated games of the World Cup, given the rivals meet so rarely and haven't played each other in a series since 2013.
There is a lot to play out before that game at Old Trafford, which attracted almost half-a-million applications for tickets, but Kohli hasn't ruled out the prospect of his team refusing to take the field in protest.
"Our stand is simple. We stick by what the nation wants to do and what the BCCI decides to do," Kohli told reporters in Vizag.
"That is basically our opinion. Whatever the government and the board decide eventually, we will go by that and respect that.
Kohli's comments come after cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also said he would back the country's stance AAP
"So that is our standard."
Kohli passed on the team's "sincere condolences" to the families of the Central Reserve Police Force soldiers who died in the attack.
"We're really shocked about what happened. We're really sad," Kohli said.
Vinod Rai, chairman of the BCCI's committee of administrators (CoA), has indicated a final call will be made after consultation with the government.
Former spinner Harbhajan Singh has pushed for a boycott. Former captains Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar suggested they would back whatever decision was made but would hate to hand Pakistan a victory at that tournament.
