The India vs Pakistan rivalry has now taken a new route. After the ICC informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that the BCCI won’t be sending the India Cricket Team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, things have taken a sharp turn. The PCB has announced that they won’t be accepting a hybrid model for the tournament. Furthermore, Pakistan would also be lobbying against India hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics.
The writing was on the wall. It was like an untold truth that the Indian government won’t allow the India Cricket Team to travel to Pakistan to take part in the ICC Champions Trophy. When PCB was informed of the same, they naturally were disturbed. And now as per reports the Pakistani government is keen on communicating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) against India.
Pakistan ready to launch campaign against India to IOC
India has high hopes of hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics and is set to submit a bid for the same. But with the tensions ongoing with Pakistan, the neighbors are now keen to hold India responsible for neglecting the spirit of the competition.
Last year, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and played their matches in a neutral venue, i.e. Sri Lanka. This time for the Champions Trophy, the BCCI has pitched a similar idea to the ICC. Pakistan currently believes that India hasn’t been reciprocating the respect that the former did by traveling to India for the ODI World Cup last year.
In a bid to showcase the disparity, the Pakistan government now plans to have a formal communication with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “If India’s participation contributes to ICC’s revenue, the PCB’s role is equally crucial. The absence of Pakistan-India matches would undoubtedly hurt ICC revenues,” one source told Cricket Pakistan.