Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh’s old video from a discussion on a Pakistan News Channel has been going viral on social media. In the video, Harbhajan can be seen being involved in a heated discussion regarding India’s stance to not visit Pakistan for any cricketing event.
Notably, the Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be hosted by Pakistan. However, given the political relations between the two countries, India are unlikely to travel to the country for the event. In the wake of recent developments, the video of Harbhajan has been gaining traction on social media where he can be seen expressing his concerns regarding the safety of players in Pakistan.
Harbhajan further goes on to say that Indian cricket can survive without Pakistan.
“If our players are not safe in Pakistan, we won’t send the team. If you want to play, play; if not, don’t. Indian cricket can still survive without Pakistan. If you guys can survive without Indian cricket, then do it,” said Harbhajan in the viral video.
Meanwhile, there have been widespread reports surfacing around India’s stance to not travel to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has reportedly asked for the tournament to be conducted in a hybrid model with India’s games set to be held either in Sri Lanka or UAE. However, an official statement regarding the development is yet to be made by the BCCI.
Asia Cup 2023 was held in a hybrid manner
The 2023 edition of the Asia Cup was also supposed to be completely held in Pakistan. However, the tournament was conducted in a hybrid model following the intervention by the BCCI. As a result, India played all of their matches in Sri Lanka which led to several logistical challenges for hosts Pakistan.
India and Pakistan haven’t played a bilateral series since 2013 when Pakistan came to tour India for a three-match ODI series and two T20Is. Pakistan managed to beat India by 2-1 in the ODIs, while India levelled the T20Is 1-1. The two nations have endured tumultuous political relations following the infamous 26/11 Terror attacks in Mumbai. Since 2013, the two teams have only faced off in multi-national tournaments.