New Delhi: The legendary Kapil Dev has reacted to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s decision to not send the Indian team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. BCCI has already conveyed their decision to the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan citing security reasons. The tournament has been left in limbo amid uncertainty over the venue.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is refusing to relent and wants to host the entire tournament in the country. However, BCCI’s refusal to send the Indian team across the border has left ICC in a spot. Amid the ongoing standoff between BCCI and PCB over the venue of the tournament, Kapil gave a no-nonsense take on the matter.
The former India captain made it clear the decision to send the Indian team to Pakistan is of the central government’s and that no other opinions would matter. Kapil said even his opinion would not be of any value as the final say will always be of the Indian government.
“It’s the government’s responsibility. It government says it’s ok, then it’s fine. People like us should not give opinions, our opinions don’t matter. Kapil Dev can’t be bigger than anyone else,” Kapil was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
ICC drops PoK regions from trophy tour in Pakistan
Meanwhile, the ICC on Saturday announced a revised itinerary for the Champions Trophy tour in Pakistan. The ICC dropped the disputed regions of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) from the trophy tour in the country after a strong objection from BCCI. The PCB had decided to parade the trophy in Skardu, Hunza and Muzaffarabad, which are all regions in the PoK.
However, the Pakistan board’s plans had to be scrapped after the ICC got into action immediately after BCCI’s protest and changed the itinerary. ICC announced that the Champions Trophy tour will now begin in Islamabad and will cover major Pakistani cities like Taxila, Abbottabad, and Karachi before heading to all 8 participating countries, including India.
It remains to be seen if PCB will get to host the entire Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan sans India or if the tournament will be conducted in a hybrid model with the Men in Blue playing their matches at a neutral venue.
The legendary Kapil Dev gave a no-nonsense response when asked about BCCI’s stance on the Champions Trophy 2025 venue. The BCCI has refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the tournament. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
