Champions Trophy India vs Pakistan Match:
The decision not to send the Indian cricket team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy has sparked discussions in political circles as well. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has advised the central government to separate politics from sports. He questioned, “If Prime Minister Narendra Modi can visit Pakistan, why can’t the Indian team play in a tournament there with participation from several countries?”
Tejashwi Yadav referred to PM Modi’s 2015 visit to Lahore, Pakistan, when he met then-Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his birthday. Highlighting this, Yadav criticized the central government, saying, “There should be no politics in sports. Pakistan’s team comes to our country, and our players should also go there. What’s wrong with playing the game? The game is not a war. Why should India not participate? If PM Modi can go to Pakistan to eat biryani and that’s considered good, why is it viewed negatively if the Indian team plays there? This kind of thinking is not right.”
India’s refusal to send its national cricket team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy has led to uncertainty about the tournament’s future. India has proposed a ‘hybrid model’ for the matches, suggesting that Indian games be held in neutral venues like the UAE or Sri Lanka. The ICC has scheduled a key meeting on Friday to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad stated, “Terrorism and dialogue cannot go hand in hand. We will not play cricket with Pakistan. They continue to send terrorists, and we will not engage with them in sports.”
The Indian cricket team last toured Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup. The two countries also played a bilateral series in India during 2012–13. However, due to deteriorating political relations, India and Pakistan now only face each other in ICC tournaments.
