Former World Cup-winning player Harbhajan Singh has spoken about Team India’s participation in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan. Harbhajan Singh claimed that the Indian cricket team should not travel to the neighbouring country for the ICC tournament due to security concerns.
Pakistan will host the 2025 Champions Trophy in February-March next year. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to decide whether the Indian team will travel to Pakistan. The decision taken by the BCCI in the coming months will determine whether India will travel to Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may have to organise the event in a hybrid model if the BCCI decides not to send players to the neighbouring nation.Either Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could host India’s matches in this event. The International Cricket Council (ICC) will take a final decision.
What we say is beyond our point of view – Harbhajan Singh
Speaking to Sports Tak, Harbhajan Singh said that the Indian government will decide whether to send the team to Pakistan based on the security arrangements in place. Harbhajan Singh stressed that the team should not travel to Pakistan without proper security for the tournament.
“What they say is what they think is right, while what we say is our point of view. I think security concerns are always there and if the safety of the players is not guaranteed there, then I don’t think the team should go there,” Harbhajan Singh said.
“If they say that the teams will have full security and there will be no issues, then the government should think and take decisions because at the end of the day, it is not just about cricket issues but the problem goes beyond that. As a cricketer, I can say that if you want to play cricket, play cricket but the concern about security is always there and players should not go there until security is guaranteed,” he added.
Pakistan defeated India in the Champions Trophy final in 2017
The BCCI is unlikely to allow the Indian team to travel to Pakistan due to the tense political relations between the two nations. The BCCI has refused to send the team to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup. PCB organised the event in a hybrid model, with India-centric matches played in Sri Lanka..
India last visited Pakistan in 2008, and the most recent bilateral series between the two teams was in 2012-13. Cricket activities in Pakistan were suspended until 2019 following an attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009. Pakistan has not hosted an ICC event since the ODI World Cup in 1996.
Pakistan defeated India by 180 runs in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy at The Oval in London.The Men in Green scored 338 in 50 overs, thanks to Fakhar Zaman’s 114.Pakistan’s trio of Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan and Hasan Ali knocked out India’s leading side. India were bowled out for 158.
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