Mumbai, November 15 (IANS). The Champions Trophy is to be organized next year. However, things are not clear regarding whether this tournament will be held in Pakistan or not and whether Team India will participate in it or not. On one hand, India has clearly refused to tour Pakistan, whereas Pakistan is not ready for the hybrid model. Meanwhile, a senior BCCI official Rajeev Shukla has further increased the tension of PCB.
In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Rajeev Shukla said, “Our team has always performed well against Pakistan. We have already made our stand clear in the ongoing controversy regarding the Champions Trophy. Matches between India and Pakistan BCCI’s rules are clear regarding this. We will follow the policy of the Central Government. The safety of our players is most important for us and we have also put this matter before the ICC.
India and Pakistan do not even play bilateral series due to political tension. Both countries play against each other only in ICC and Asian Cricket Council events. The Indian team last toured Pakistan in 2006.
Eight teams are to participate in the Champions Trophy. These include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa. Teams have to compete in two groups of four each, after which semi-finals and finals will be played.
The PCB has decided to host the entire Champions Trophy in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9. To ease security arrangements, it has been proposed to hold all India matches in Lahore, a city near the Indian border.
India has not played any international match in Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. India did not go to Pakistan for the Asia Cup last year and its matches were played in Sri Lanka. However, Pakistan team came to India to play ODI World Cup 2023.
–IANS
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