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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla has reiterated that India won't play a bilateral series with arch-rivals Pakistan without the government's approval.
Shukla said that with strained relations between the two nations, the cricket board will follow what the Indian government tells them to do in this matter. Notably, India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral series since 2012-13. In December 2012, Pakistan visited India for a 3-match ODI and 2-match T20I series. The T20 was a draw with India and Pakistan winning a match each, while the visitors took the ODI series 2-1 Speaking to ANI, Rajeev Shukla said, "In these circumstances, our stated policy is that we will do whatever the Indian government tells us to do in this matter. And ICC has also provided that if the government says something about a country, the cricket board will follow it. Similarly, in this case as well, whatever the government says will be followed. I don't think it's possible to have bilateral tours in the current situation." Shukla reiterated India's stance on cricket ties with Pakistan, citing the government's policy of playing matches on "third soil" - either in India or abroad, but not in Pakistan. "The stand of the Indian government has been there all the time in the past. I think that is absolutely fine. That's why I find bilateral tours difficult. Although Pakistan came to India many times after that. But then the Government of India made a policy: that any triangular series or international tournament, we will play together, but on a third soil. Third soil means either in India or abroad," Rajeev Shukla added. Last year, following India's Operation Sindoor, the conflict between India and Pakistan deepened, which resulted in increased cross-border shelling from Pakistan and retaliatory action from the Indian Armed Forces. Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, 2025, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Following this, the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved a hybrid model for India-Pakistan matches, allowing Pakistan to host the 2025 Champions Trophy while India played in the UAE. Similarly, Pakistan played their 2025 women's ODI World Cup matches in Sri Lanka while India hosted the tournament. Shukla also pointed out the security concerns in Pakistan, referencing the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. "Where did this start? When the Sri Lankan team was attacked there, they had to run away. So even the government there cannot confidently say that they will give security properly," Shukla concluded. The Sri Lankan team were on their way to Gaddafi Stadium during the Test match with Pakistan when terrorists believed to be from the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) fired indiscriminately upon the bus. That barbaric attack left eight people dead and injured seven Sri Lankan players and staff. (ANI)
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