The recent visit to Pakistan by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has rekindled conversations if not precisely raised expectations, regarding the possibility of the Indian cricket team visiting Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. It has been reported that Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, discussed the matter on several occasions. The government minister and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, is said to have joined in at some point during these discussions.
The Indian government will finally decide whether or not to send a squad to play in the eight-nation 50-over tournament in Pakistan. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are unable to confirm at this time. But following the Indian minister's arrival, a number of noteworthy events have occurred, one of which concerns the timing.
According to the report from Cricbuzz, the PCB wrote the BCCI a letter pledging support if the Indian squad would rather leave Pakistan and head back to Chandigarh or New Delhi following every match. This arrangement was confirmed by a PCB official, who mentioned that the interval between the last two matches is over a week.
Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi have been allocated matches for the Champions Trophy, which is slated to take place from February 19 to March 9. With Lahore's ease of logistics and security considerations, the PCB has scheduled all of India's matches in Pakistan there. Lahore was also selected because it is near the border, making it simple for Indian supporters to travel across for the games. February 20 (against Bangladesh), February 23 (against Pakistan), and March 2 (against New Zealand) are the dates of India's three scheduled games.
Regarding the schedule, a few additional developments have surfaced. The program has been distributed by the ICC to all interested parties, including the teams who are taking part. Subsequently, there were allegations in the national media indicating that the broadcaster had asked the ICC to move an India match—more precisely, the India-New Zealand game—to a new location. An alternative, Rawalpindi, has been suggested by the PCB. The broadcaster and representatives of the ICC, however, have denied knowing about the request.
India's participation in the Champions Trophy is crucial for world cicket, whether it is played in Pakistan or another nation by using a hybrid model. Should India choose to withdraw, the competition will be significantly diminished in value. In the event that the Men in Blue are unable to travel, the ICC and PCB have planned to host India matches outside of Pakistan. The executives of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are optimistic that a resolution to the impasse will be found in the meantime. "There are lots of different alternatives and contingencies available if that doesn't happen. I wouldn't have thought (it would be played without India), because if you play the Champions Trophy without India the broadcast rights aren't there, and we need to protect them," ECB Chair Richard Thomson was quoted by Reuters as saying.
