One of the most discussed topics in the cricket world at present is whether the Indian team will visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025 or not.
BCCI has asked ICC to shift team India’s matches to Dubai or Sri Lanka just like what happened during the Asia Cup 2023 which was also hosted by Pakistan but this time, PCB is in no mood to shift the matches and it is adamant on hosting all the matches in Pakistan only.
When the BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla was asked about it, he said, “In the case of the Champions Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India will tell us to do. We send our team only when the Government of India permits us. So we will go according to the decision of the Indian government.”
While many former Pakistani cricketers have urged BCCI to send the Indian team to Pakistan, the former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has supported BCCI’s stance as he said in an interview, “Why should the Indian team go to Pakistan? There is a safety concern in Pakistan. The situation in Pakistan is such that incidents occur almost every day. I don’t think it’s safe (for the team) to go there. The stance of the BCCI is absolutely correct and nothing is more important than the safety of our players. I support BCCI’s stand.”
However, PCB has decided that all matches of the Indian team will be played in Lahore including semi-final and final (if the Indian team qualifies) and the team will stay in the same hotel throughout the tournament in order to strengthen the security of the team.
Should team India travel to Pakistan? What do you think?
