The statement was made by BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla on Monday. He told media that the BCCI would follow the instructions of the federal government on sending the Indian team to Pakistan for the ICC event.
He said, “In the case of the Champion Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India will tell us to do.”
He added, “We send our team only when the Government of India gives us permission. So, we will go according to the decision of the Indian government.”
It is worth mentioning here that India refused to tour Pakistan for last year’s Asia Cup and the continental event was thus, held in a hybrid model with Sri Lanka emerging as a co-host.
As per the hybrid model, Pakistan could host only four matches while the rest of the games were played in Sri Lanka including the final.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has raced up the preparations to host the Champions Trophy 2025 and shortlisted three venues — Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi in the initial draft schedule, proposed to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Sources further claimed that the cricket board also proposed to host all the India matches at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, also poised to host the final, to minimise the team’s travelling as a security measure.
The eight-team tournament is slated to be held in February next year in Pakistan and is likely to span for over two weeks.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will feature India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Afghanistan, England, and Bangladesh while hosts Pakistan will defend the title.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said earlier this week that the board had sent a draft schedule of the tournament, likely to be staged in mid-February next year, to the ICC. Discussions on it involving the eight participating members will take place, with the major sticking point likely to be whether the India team travels or not, ESPNcricinfo reported.
No Indian team has played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup. Relations between the two governments have deteriorated steadily and often sharply since, especially after the Mumbai terror attacks the same year. Those attacks ended a rare period of bounty in the rivalry, the sides having played each other in four bilateral series in the preceding four years.
Last year, when Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup, they were forced to deploy a hybrid model in which India played all their games - including those against Pakistan - in Sri Lanka. The final of the tournament, won by India, was held in Colombo.
Though Pakistan had raised the prospect of a hybrid model for their presence in the ODI World Cup in India last year, it was never pursued seriously. They ended up playing all their games in India, across five venues, before they were eliminated in the group stages.
