India to play BILATERAL matches against Pakistan? Union Minister Anurag Thakur gives ultimate verdict

Pakistan had demanded the resumption of a bilateral series between India and Pakistan.

India to play BILATERAL matches against Pakistan? Union Minister Anurag Thakur gives ultimate verdict

Anurag Thakur, Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam (Images via Wikipedia, X)

The cricket team of India and Pakistan have become arch-rivals, thanks to the extreme political tension between the two countries. The pressure is too high for all of those associated with the match and the fans whenever the two teams meet each other.

Previously, India and Pakistan used to play bilateral series. But since 2012, they have met only in Asia Cup and ICC events, and the rarity of the matches makes the clash the most important thing in the cricket world. And when one of these two countries gets the hosting rights of the tournament, then for months, the two rival boards argue with each other.

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However, after a recent attack on soldiers on the border, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur gave his ultimatum that until the terrorism in Pakistan stops, India won’t agree to play a bilateral series against Pakistan.

“The BCCI decided long ago that it will not play any bilateral matches with Pakistan until they stop terrorism. We will not resume our cricketing ties with Pakistan unless they stop carrying out attacks across the border or infiltration incidents,” Thakur, a former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president, told reporters in Rajasthan’s Udaipur.

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PCB demanded the resumption of bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan

India to play BILATERAL matches against Pakistan? Union Minister Anurag Thakur gives ultimate verdict
Roger Binny, Rajeev Shukla (Image via Hindustan Times)

The BCCI president Roger Binny and vice-president Rajeev Shukla crossed the Attari-Wagah Border for a grand dinner party in Pakistan hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). It was not a political meeting but about all things cricket as Pakistan is the original host of the ongoing 2023 Asia Cup.

Pakistan had demanded the resumption of a bilateral series between India and Pakistan. Rajeev Shukla said that the decision to resume the bilateral series is solely in the hands of the Indian government. And after Anurag Thakur’s verdict, it seems the India-Pakistan bilateral series in the near future is near to impossible.

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