No Pak-India bilateral series till resolution of border issues. Anurag Thakur, India’s minister of sports, has put an end to all hopes of a bilateral series between India and Pakistan by stating that the success of such an event depends on the settlement of border disputes between the two neighbors.
Due to ongoing diplomatic tensions, cricketing relations between the two bitter rivals remain strained; as a result, only matches sponsored by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) are permitted between them.
In an interview with Indian media, Thakur, the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), shared his opinions, noting that the BCCI had previously made a firm decision not to play bilateral matches with Pakistan until border relations had stabilized.
“I understand that this is the sentiment of every ordinary citizen of the country,” he said.
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As no Pak-India bilateral series till resolution of border issues, it should be noted that Pakistan recently lost the second match against India in the Asia Cup by 228 runs.
The national team’s hopes of making it to the finals were dashed on Thursday during a pivotal and exciting final over after the Green Shirts lost to Sri Lanka later in the same tournament.
In the meantime, India has moved ahead of Pakistan in the ICC ODI team rankings as a result of their outstanding performance in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
The Blues have moved up to number two, while Pakistan, who was previously ranked first, has dropped to third.
Pakistan is in third place with 115 ratings and 3,102 points, while India is ranked second with 116 ratings and 4,516 points.
On the other hand, on September 17 in Colombo, India and Sri Lanka will now play in the Asia Cup 2023 championship game.
Anurag Singh Thakur is a Bharatiya Janata Party politician from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, and a member of the Lok Sabha.
He currently serves as the Second Modi ministry’s Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs, and Information and Broadcasting.
