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The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy's future is hanging by a thread following India's reluctance to travel to Pakistan. The BCCI made its intentions clear to the ICC, citing security concerns. India has not been to Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, and the 2023 Asia Cup was held in a hybrid format, with India's matches hosted in Sri Lanka. This time, a hybrid model has been proposed, however, the Pakistan Cricket Board has set several conditions before approving the idea.
Meanwhile, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh reinforced his stance, saying he did not "expect" the Indian team to travel to Pakistan for next year's ICC Champions Trophy. Moreover, he stated that cricket encounters between two countries are infrequent and there should be no influence of venue resulting in controversies.
The situation is not suitable for team India to visit Pakistan: Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan recently voiced his opinion in favour of not sending the team India to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025. He said, "I have said this before. I don't think Team India will travel to Pakistan." "I don't think the situation is suited to go there and play. People in Pakistan love cricket and the Indian team. But considering the situation, I don't think Team India will travel. Governments are involved, and they are making the decisions," Harbhajan added.
In a recent interview with PTI, Harbhajan blamed PCB for the delay in making the decision and asked them to keep their ego aside and accept the hybrid model. The former spinner opined, "Ask all players, they would say they are ready to play in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. In any case, we don’t see too many Indo-Pak games as such, and Pakistan should keep their ego aside and agree to the hybrid model."
New formula underway for India and Pakistan for ICC matches
Recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) summoned a meeting to discuss the tournament's future. Various reports and developments began to emerge, suggesting the destiny of the Champions Trophy. In the latest development, sources told Geo News on Sunday that a new formula has been developed under which India will play all of their ICC matches, which are scheduled to be played in Pakistan, in Dubai.
In addition, Pakistan will play matches in Dubai that were originally slated for India. According to Geo News, this method will apply for the next three years, beginning with the Champions Trophy 2025.
