Former India offspinner
Harbhajan Singh
vented his anger when poked during a show on a Pakistani TV channel, saying that India won't send its team for the Champions Trophy next year because "our players are not safe" in
Pakistan
.
"If our players are not safe in Pakistan, we won't send the team. If you want to play, play; if not, then don't. Indian cricket can still survive without Pakistan.
If you guys can survive without Indian cricket, do it," said Harbhajan.
Pakistan are the official hosts of the 2025 ICC Champions trophy that returns to the calendar after a gap of 8 years. The last edition of the tournamet was played in 2017, where Pakistan emerged as the champions with a win over archrivals India in the final at The Oval in London.
Earlier this week, ANI had reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (
BCCI
) will ask the International Cricket Council (ICC) to adopt a hybrid model for the tournament, with matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka.
Pakistan have reportedly marked Lahore as the venue for all of India's match for the ease of travel for the team and the fans. The fixtures for the competition -- scheduled for February 19 to March 9 - are set to be announced later.
Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year, but India, who went on to win the trophy, played all of their matches in Sri Lanka under a 'hybrid model'.
The eight-nation Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in Pakistan in February and March next year. It will be the first major cricket event in Pakistan since it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
India have not toured Pakistan since 2008 and the archrivals play each other only at multi-team events.
English (US) ·