ICC Champions Trophy: India will not travel to Pakistan

MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has hinted that it will not send the Indian team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy One Day Cricket Tournament scheduled to take place in Pakistan in February next year. As per reports, the BCCI will ask the International Cricket Council (ICC) to hold India's matches in Sri Lanka or Dubai.

It must be noted that since the Asia Cup in 2008, India has not played any cricket tournaments in Pakistan due to tense relationships between both nations. A bilateral series from December 2012 to January 2013 in India also marked the final bilateral series between the two nations. Since then, both nations have only clashed at ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup.

According to reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had proposed to India to play all its matches in Lahore. However, the Indian board is not interested in the prospect of travelling to Pakistan.

A similar situation unfolded during last year’s Asia Cup, which was scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan. However, PCB was compelled to use a hybrid strategy when hosting the Asia Cup last year, with all of India’s matches–including those against Pakistan–taking place in Sri Lanka. The tournament final, which India won, took place in Colombo.