Will India-Pakistan Resume Bilateral Ties? Sourav Ganguly Says The Decision in Hands Of Government
The two teams last played a bilateral series in 2012/13 in India, owing to the political tension
Mumbai: India and Pakistan resumed their on-field rivalry after 28 months when they locked horns in the group stage fixture of the T20 world cup. The fixture was played in front of a packed crowd and shattered the viewership records.
The two teams haven’t played a bilateral series since 2012/13 and there is no series scheduled for the future, owing to the political tension between the two countries. They have been only a face-off in ICC events and Asia Cups.
At the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair on November 13 in UAE, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly responded to the query about the cricketing ties between the two teams going ahead. The former India captain recently said that the decision is not in the hands of the boards and that the respective governments must work on that.
“This is not in the hands of the boards. At world tournaments, the two teams do play each other. Bilateral cricket has been stopped for years and this is something that the respective governments have to work on. This is not in Rameez’s hands, nor mine,” he said.
The two teams are likely to play against each other in Australia since there is a T20 World Cup next year. Also, there are two back-to-back Asia Cups lined up to be played in 2022 and 2023. Hence, the Men in Blue and the Men in Green are confirmed to square off at least twice in the next two years.
Talking of their T20 WC campaigns, India missed out on making it to the semi-final. The Virat Koli-led side won 3 out of 5 Super 12 group stage matches.
The Pakistan side was knocked out of the T20 World Cup in the semi-final stages. Pakistan posted a good total of 176/4 against Australia, but the kangaroos chased down the target set by the ‘Men in Green’ with 5 wickets.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and interesting stories.
