The cricketing world is buzzing with the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, scheduled to be held in Pakistan. Apparently it will be the first major ICC tournament hosted by Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup. However, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over India's participation. Political tensions have limited bilateral cricket series between India and Pakistan to ICC events in recent years. Now, following the Asia Cup 2023 controversy, fresh concerns have emerged regarding India's travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
According to a report by IANS, the Indian team might skip the tournament altogether. Sources suggest a potential venue change or a repeat of the hybrid model used in the 2023 Asia Cup, where India played their matches in a different country. The cricketing community awaits further developments as this news could significantly impact the upcoming Champions Trophy.
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"Forget bilateral series...Team India may not even travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. There might be a change of venue, s hybrid model is also possible," one of the BCCI sources, privy to development, told IANS.
The source mentioned a key roadblock in government approval. With the current political climate, it's unclear if the Indian government would grant permission for the team to travel to Pakistan. While missing an ICC event would be a difficult decision for India, any travel would require government approval. In short, a bilateral series between India and Pakistan is unlikely any time soon.
"The Indian board would need permission from the government for travel, currently our relations with Pakistan are not that good either," he said. Champions Trophy is an ICC event, so it would be a tough call for India but nothing without the government's order/green signal. Bilateral series, I don't see in the near future, that's next to impossible," the source further added.
Couple of days back, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi reportedly mentioned that they are open to the idea of a bilateral series with India, provided India agrees to send their team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. Notably, the last bilateral series between India and Pakistan occurred in 2013, when Pakistan visited India for two T20Is and three ODIs. More recently, India skipper Rohit Sharma expressed his desire to have a bilateral series between India and Pakistan series.
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