Rohit Sharma (L) and Babar Azam© AFP
There has been a lot of discussion over whether India will be travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. The two countries have not played a bilateral series for more than a decade due to political tensions but the Pakistan cricket team travelled to India in 2023 for the ODI World Cup. However, there has been no official communication from the Indian government or the BCCI when it comes to India’s possible visit to Pakistan for the competition. After India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said that their target is to win the World Test Championship and Champions Trophy next. However, he once again did not specify if India will be travelling to Pakistan in 2025.
Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt said that he has seen reports suggesting India will come to Pakistan but added that it is ICC’s duty to ensure that all teams play in Pakistan.
“We try sensationalizing everything. There have been a few reports suggesting that Jay Shah has given a positive signal. However, I don’t think he’s given any signals. I wouldn’t have been excited even if there had been a signal from him because it is the ICC’s duty to ensure that all teams visit Pakistan,” Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel.
Butt further said that if India decide to not travel to Pakistan, ICC will have deal with BCCI over the matter and this will be a good place to see if the governing body can deal with the Indian cricket board.
“If they come, then they welcome, if they don’t, the ICC has to deal with it. We will find out if they can just deal with all the other countries or can do the same with India as well. It will show how much authority they have as a regulator and how neutral they can be,” he added.
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