New Delhi: BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla on Thursday, reiterated a long-held position saying that the decision to send the Indian cricket team to Pakistan for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy lies in the hands of the Indian government. Once the government gives the approval, it is only then that the team will cross borders, Shukla said. Pakistan will host the marquee ODI tournament from February 19 to March 9.
When asked about the current update on whether the BCCI is agreeing to send the team to the neighbouring country, Shukla said the decision is still pending. “No decision has been taken (yet). But our policy is that for international tours, we always seek the permission of the government. It’s up to the government to decide whether our team should go to any country or our team should not go to any country. In this case (also), whatever the government will decide, we will abide by that,” Shukla told reporters in Kanpur as quoted by PTI.
Shukla spoke to the media on the sidelines of the ongoing second Test between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park. For the past few years, India and Pakistan have only faced each other in the ICC tournaments as India stopped travelling to Pakistan for bilateral cricket simce 2008 after the Mumbai terror attacks in which more than 150 people died.
Recent past
However, India hosted Pakistan for the ODI World Cup last year as the Men in Green stepped into the nation after a gap of seven years. Speculations are running rife that India won’t be travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy considering the safety issues. The BCCI may have to request the ICC to pull the tournament out of Pakistan and organise it either in Sri Lanka or Dubai.
Last year’s Asia Cup, which was to be hosted by Pakistan, saw a hybrid model in practice as for Team India, the tournament was moved to Sri Lanka where they played all their matches while Pakistan could only host just four games. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is adamant to host the tournament and have already put their stadium under renovation.
Several Pakistani cricketers have already given their take on the situation, saying that the tournament should proceed without India if they opt not to come to Pakistan. As far as the ICC is concerned, it has maintained that it would not force a cricket board to go against its government’s policies.
It still remains unclear if Team India will cross borders to enter Pakistan and participate in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. A BCCI official recently shared his take on the controversial situation. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
