India cancel scheduled practice and press conference amid spiralling tension with Pakistan in Asia Cup

In the wake of Pakistan's cancellation of its pre-match press conference ahead of its vital Asia CupAsia CupAsia Cup 2025 match against the UAE, India also called off its scheduled practice session and press meet on Wednesday, September 17. However, Neither Pakistan nor India provided an official explanation for the last-minute schedule changes.

Pakistan's decision to skip the press conference, ahead of an international fixture in a multi-nation tournament, was seen as a way to avoid questions about their demand to remove match referee Andy Pycroft for the rest of the tournament. India's decision was not considered as controversial.

Before Asia Cup began, the BCCI had issued a schedule outlining all of India's practice sessions and press conferences for the tournament. This schedule specified that India would hold a three-hour practice session beginning at 6 pm (Gulf time) on September 17, with a team member available for media interaction.