Ex-India star blames Pakistan for Champions Trophy scandal: ‘There was a bomb explosion…’

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was informed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday that India will not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. There was a lot of talk surrounding India’s participation in the competition, but the Indian government decided not to do so. give permission to the national side. The BCCI had earlier proposed a hybrid theory where India would play their games in Dubai, but it was rejected by the PCB, which wanted to host the entire tournament in Pakistan. Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra stated that Pakistan is to blame for the current scenario.

“It has been decided that India will not travel to Pakistan and it is not the BCCI’s decision. Let’s make this very, very clear. When we talk about Pakistan, the Indian cricket team does not decide where and when they go. in other places everything is fine. However, if you go to Pakistan, it is not the decision of the BCCI, but of the Indian government,” Chopra said. YouTube channel.

“They said that they would not give permission to go there. That’s why India isn’t coming. In a sense, they (Pakistan) have themselves to blame. Just yesterday I saw that there was an explosion at the Quetta railway station. And then whatever Pakistan is involved in, when we talk about India, especially Kashmir,” he added.

Chopra suggested that if the Champions Trophy goes ahead, India’s matches could be moved to a neutral venue such as the UAE.

“The last PCB chairman said during the 2023 ODI World Cup, ‘dushman mulk ja rahe hum’ (we are going into enemy territory). In the future, if Pakistan decides not to play against India, there will be consequences. India will also face consequences if they do not visit Pakistan but the sanctions will be financial and how can the ICC stop the flow of Indian money to India? Pakistan does not have this kind of leverage. harsh reality, I am absolutely sure that without India there will be no Champions Cup. Every team, including Pakistan, understands this,” Chopra said.

(with inputs from IANS)