Champions Trophy: India No to Travel to Pakistan, Suggests Sri Lanka or Dubai as Venue
NEW DELHI, July 11: The Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy next year and has suggested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to hold India’s matches in Sri Lanka or Dubai, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources said on Thursday.
The sources said the BCCI has also turned down the offer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that India play all its matches at one place in Lahore.
The ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in February- March next year in Pakistan, which is also the current holder of the trophy held last in 2017.
Since 2008’s Asia Cup, India has not played any cricket tournaments in Pakistan due to tense relationships between the two countries. A bilateral series from December 2012 to January 2013 in India also marked the final bilateral series between the two nations. Since then, both nations have only clashed at ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup and all at neutral venues except the ODI World Cup matches held in India last year.
Uncertainty has been looming over India’s participation in the upcoming event due to the relationship between the two countries. In response to India’s security concerns, the PCB had proposed that India play all its matches in one city and had chosen Lahore as the location but the Indian board is not interested in the prospect of travelling to Pakistan.
While addressing India’s participation in the BCCI source said, “India will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. Will tell ICC to hold its matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka.”
BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla, in May, had said the Indian team would be sent to Pakistan for the tournament only if the central government permitted. “In the case of the Champion Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India will tell us to do. We send our team only when the Government of India permits us. So we will go according to the decision of the Indian government.”
A similar situation unfolded during last year’s Asia Cup, which was scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan.
However, PCB was compelled to use a hybrid strategy when hosting the Asia Cup last year, with all of India’s matches–including those against Pakistan–taking place in Sri Lanka. The tournament final, which India won, took place in Colombo.
Although Pakistan had hinted at a similar reciprocal hybrid arrangement for its participation in the ODI World Cup in India last year, it was never given any thought and the Pakistani team played its matches at different locations in India as per the schedule.
(Manas Dasgupta)
