Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the Indian team should travel to Pakistan for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy and backed his stance by claiming that involving politics in sports is “not a good thing.” Uncertainty continues to revolve around India’s travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, with the tournament just a couple of months away from commencement.
Due to strained political relations, India has not toured Pakistan since 2008, when they participated in the Asia Cup. The two arch-rivals last played a bilateral series in 2012-13 in India, comprising white-ball matches. Currently, they primarily face each other in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Champions Trophy in Pakistan, BCCI vice president & Congress leader Rajeev Shukla says, “Our discussions are going on. A decision will be taken after looking at the situation. Our top priority is the safety of the players. Hybrid mode is also an option,… pic.twitter.com/daIaqIEyZ2
— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2024
India Firm On Not Travelling To Pakistan
India has firmly held the stance of not travelling to Pakistan, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajeev Shukla emphasising that the board will strictly adhere to the directives issued by the Indian government.
In the midst of the ongoing developments, Tejashwi has claimed that the Indian team should travel to Pakistan. He even made a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in 2015 and said if the PM can travel to Pakistan, then the Indian team should as well.
#WATCH | On reports that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says, “Involving politics into sports is not a good thing. We should go, other teams should travel to India… Doesn’t everyone participate in the… pic.twitter.com/0KxTB8XlfE
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2024
“Involving politics into sports is not a good thing. Doesn’t everyone participate in the Olympics? Why shouldn’t India go there (Pakistan)? What is the objection? If the PM can go there to have Biryani – then it’s good, if the India team travels – why this is not good?” Tejashwi told reporters.
ICC Trying To Reach A Consensus
According to ESPNcricinfo, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board will aim to reach a consensus during the meeting on Friday before making a final decision. The tournament is scheduled to take place between February 19 and March, but the ICC has yet to release the official schedule.
The report also highlighted that the meeting will address whether the tournament will be hosted solely in Pakistan or under a hybrid model, where Pakistan shares hosting responsibilities with another, yet-to-be-decided, country.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
