When it comes to entertainment in cricket, West Indies cricketers would find their name at the top of the list. They have loads of flair and love to create a lively atmosphere. More importantly, they are happy-go-lucky people who don't prefer to take too much stress, especially in sports. Veteran all-rounder Jason Holder, one of T20 cricket's most experienced players, is no different.
Holder belongs to the school of cricketers who prefer to treat cricket just as a game and doesn't want it to be mixed with politics. Which is why he is upset with the recently escalated levels of the India-Pakistan rivalry. Holder is one of those rare cricketers who has played in the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League, and is full of praise about both countries. However, the rivalry does upset him.
"I don't like this India-Pakistan beef that goes or stems a long way beyond the cricket field. It is really sad," said Holder in a chat with Grace Hayden on her show Game On with Grace.
"They are two powerhouses in world cricket and to see how things have transpired; I saw India win the Asia Cup and they didn't go to accept the trophy. I think it's too much. These things shouldn't be in our game, especially if we are ambassadors of the world. We're talking of world peace, making the world a better place, then that's not what you want."
India's historically strained relations with Pakistan escalated even further after the Pahalgam attacks in April 2025. While the two teams haven't played bilateral cricket since 2012, they do inevitable cross paths in ICC tournaments due to the financial buzz that the rivalry generates for the International Cricket Council.
However, after India had toughened its stand following the Pahalgam disaster, it seemed like the Asia Cup games between the two sides may not happen. Ultimately, all three India-Pakistan fixtures in Asia Cup 2025 happened but India chose not to interact or exchange handshakes with their Pakistan counterparts, raising widespread debates about sportsmanship.
Holder is lucky that he wasn’t picked by @iamsrk in IPL or else BCCI would’ve kicked Holder out of IPL by now. pic.twitter.com/SvmWDmZgph
— Usama Zafar (@Usama7) January 7, 2026
Like many popular sports personalities across the globe, Holder also hopes that cricket can help find a way to ease the tensions between India and Pakistan, irrespective of how improbable that seems at the moment. The former West Indies captain opined that sport can be used as a starting step of the peace bridge.
"I think if it has to change, it has to come from people who are influential. They are both influential teams on the cricket field. Yes, a lot maybe happening off the field but on the field, India and Pakistan can maybe join forces in the sport. That would huge for the context of everything."
"If they can do it on the cricket field, the two countries may be like 'Look, it's done on a sporting level, maybe we can do it on an everyday level. Stop this fight, stop this war.'"
