New Delhi, May 29: Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh said on Saturday that cricket should not be exploited for politics and envisaged a team consisting of players from the Saarc countries who could be the best in the world.

Press Trust of India quoted Mr Singh as saying in Jaipur that a Saarc cricket team consisting of players from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka could be the best team in the world.

He also said his party would not let politics exploit the game of cricket between India and Pakistan.

"Congress always maintained that politics should not affect the game of cricket between the two countries and we still believe in it," Mr Singh said.

"Sports should be kept out of politics," he said when asked about improving relations with Pakistan through cricket. The ousted Vajpayee government had vainly sought to use India's recent cricket tour of Pakistan as a success story that could be replicated in politics.