The Indian national cricket team is unlikely to travel to Pakistan for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. As per IANS reports, it is learned that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not interested in sending a team to Pakistan. due to the relations between the two nations.
According to reports, it is learned that the Champions Trophy 2025 could be changed or a hybrid model will be used to organize the tournament to be played in Pakistan in February. The source also stated that there is very little chance of the two teams facing each other in the bilateral series.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi recently made a statement in which he said that if India sends its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025, then they would think about a bilateral series with India. The two nations last played in a series against each other in 2012-13.
However, a source close to the BCCI said there is no chance of India playing a bilateral series against Pakistan. He made a bold statement and said that they even have doubts about going to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy. A source told IANS:
“Forget bilateral series… Team India may not even travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. There could be a change of venue, hybrid model is also possible.”
The BCCI source further added that the governing body will need permission from the government to travel to India, which is unlikely to happen. He admitted that the Champions Trophy is an ICC event and it will be difficult for them to make the decision, but without the government’s signal nothing would happen. He added:
“The Indian board would need permission from the government to travel, currently our relations with Pakistan are also not that good. The Champions Trophy is an ICC event, so it would be a difficult decision for India, but nothing without the green order/signal from the government “I don’t see bilateral series in the near future, that’s almost impossible.”
There could also be the possibility of a hybrid model. The same thing happened during the Asia Cup 2023 when the Indian team did not travel to Pakistan and the tournament was played in Sri Lanka and Pakistan with India playing in the island nation.
I think it will be a great contest between the two sides: Rohit Sharma in a bilateral series with Pakistan.
Recently, Rohit Sharma spoke about his desire to play the bilateral series with Pakistan. He said that he would love to play against his arch-rivals and that he likes to play pure cricket. Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, he said:
“I would love to. At the end of the day, we want to be in contention. I think it will be a great contest between the two sides. We play against them in the ICC tournaments anyway. So it’s not even a necessary matter.
“I am only interested in pure cricket. I am not looking at anything else. It is just pure cricket. A battle between bat and ball. It will be a great competition, why not?”
India and Pakistan will face each other in the T20 World Cup 2024. The two teams will face off in New York on June 9. However, after that, it will be time for the Champions Trophy and it remains to be seen whether India will go to Pakistan or not.