S Jaishankar's Pakistan visit sparks debate over India's potential visit to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistan is poised to host the ICC Champions Trophy in February, next year. This will mark the first time the country will be hosting an ICC event after a hiatus of almost 28 years. Amidst the geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, the former has not given a green flag for the national team to travel to the country for the marquee event. 

It is worth noting that, India have not played a bilateral series anywhere after the horrific Mumbai attacks in 2008. India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, visited Pakistan recently and the debate over the potential discussions of the Indian team’s travel to the neighbouring country has resurfaced. As per the reports from Cricbuzz, Jaishankar along with Pakistan’s External Affairs Minister, Ishaq Dar, held discussions over the issue, and the development was joined by the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi.

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is yet to comment in this regard and has just said that the decision over the team’s travel lies solely in the hands of the Indian government. It is also reported that the PCB has offered BCCI an option of the Indian team returning to either Chandigarh or Delhi after every game in the impending tournament so that their stay in the country remains minimal.

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Lahore chosen as venue for India games to address security concerns

Moreover, the PCB has scheduled every match the Indian team plays in Lahore to avoid security and logistical issues. The reason for zeroing up on Lahore was solely because the venue is closer to the Indian border and even caters to Indian fans’ desire to witness games. India's three games are scheduled for February 20 (vs Bangladesh), February 23 (vs Pakistan), and March 2 (vs New Zealand).

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The report further revealed that the broadcasters have requested ICC to reschedule India’s game against New Zealand to another venue. Subsequently, the PCB seemed to have proposed Rawalpindi as another venue but neither ICC nor the broadcasters have testified to the development.