Lahore, March 5 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Rajeev Shukla has said that the Indian government will take a call regarding the resumption of bilateral ties with Pakistan. He said BCCI will follow the decision by the government on this issue. Shukla, who is representing the BCCI in Pakistan and watched the second semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, was responding to questions from the Pakistan media on the resumption of bilateral ties.
"As far as bilateral cricket between the two countries is concerned, it is very categorical and clear that it is the government's decision. Whatever the government says, we will go as per them," Shukla told the local media in Lahore.
Shukla said that Pakistan hosting an international tournament for the first time since the 1996 World Cup is a good thing for world cricket. "Pakistan is hosting an international tournament after a long time, and it is a good thing. They have organised it well," said Shukla.
He admitted that fans from both countries want to see the two teams playing against each other. "Fans from both the countries indeed want the team to play, but the BCCI policy has been, and PCB would too have such a policy, that bilateral matches should be held on each other's soil and not at a third (or) neutral venue," he said. This has been BCCI's consistent policy. There is also a provision in the ICC which is about the government's consent. It is a big provision, and so it happens according to the government's consent," said Shukla.
Shukla denied that the Indian team had an undue advantage as it played all its matches at one venue while the other teams played at different venues. Shukla was among the cricket board representatives attending the second semifinal of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 between New Zealand and South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.
Shukla's presence at the high-profile fixture had drawn considerable attention, given the recent diplomatic tensions surrounding India's participation in Pakistan.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), a total of five representatives from five different cricket boards were in attendance for the knockout clash. Alongside Shukla, other attendees included Roger Twose (New Zealand Cricket), Farooq Ahmed (Bangladesh Cricket Board), Pholetsi Isaac Moseki, and Dr. Mohammed Moosajee (both Cricket South Africa).
"PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi attends the ICC #ChampionsTrophy semifinal at Gaddafi Stadium alongside BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla. Officials from Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, and Zimbabwe cricket boards are also watching the #NZvSA match," PCB posted on X. The PCB also posted a video of the dignitaries watching the match in the company of the PCB Chairman.
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