Hyderabad: Ever since Pakistan were announced as the hosts of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 three years back there has been doubt over India’s participation in the marquee tournament.
It is going to be the first tournament to be solely hosted by Pakistan after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Lahore but an absence of the cricket powerhouse might reduce the glitter and glitz around the tournament.
The Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) has still not confirmed whether they will participate in the Champions Trophy or not but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will need to chalk up a backup plan if Men In Blue doesn’t participate in the tournament. However, BCCI Vice President and Congress Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Shukla had hinted recently that they might tour Pakistan if the Narendra Modi-led government allows them to do so.
Rajeev Shukla’s recent statement
While speaking to the reporters during the auction for the Uttar Pradesh Premier League in Lucknow, Rajeev Shukla stated that the Indian team will tour Pakistan if the Centre approves it.
“Pakistan can say whatever it wants about coming to India during the 2026 World Cup, but we are only waiting for the approval of the Indian government,” Shukla said.
India’s demand for hybrid model
The Indian team is reluctant to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy and so completely hosting the tournament in Pakistan might not be possible. According to some reports, the BCCI wants the tournament to be hosted in a Hybrid model. According to the draft schedule of the tournament, India was supposed to play all their matches in Lahore but the new proposal by BCCI might change the scenario.
India's last bilateral series in Pakistan was in 2006 when they played a three-match Test series and a five-match ODI series. Pakistan won the Test series by 1-0 while India won the ODI series by 4-1.
India have been firm that they won't tour Pakistan after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team and the Asia Cup 2023 was a prime example of that. Pakistan proposed a hybrid model for the competition in order to retain the hosting rights as India weren't ready to tour their country to play in the tournament.
