Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir reacted to Ramiz Raja’s comments on touring India for World Cup 2023. Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja confirms that they will travel to India for World Cup 2023 if only India travels to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023.
Gambhir Reacted to Ramiz Raja’s Comments
The matter gets under argumentation right after Jay Shah says that India won’t travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023.
Gambhir, as quoted by news agency, said that whatever decision is taken by the two boards, will be taken collectively.
“This is the decision of BCCI and PCB. Whatever decision they take, they will take it together,” he had told media.
Notably, the 2023 Asia Cup will be held before the ODI World Cup next year. Ramiz highlighted the fact that Pakistan have been playing quality cricket over the past two years, and also defeated India twice (T20 World Cup 2021 and Asia Cup 2022).
“If Pakistan don’t take part in the World Cup scheduled in India next year, who will watch it? We have a clear stand: If the Indian team comes here then we will go for the World Cup. If they don’t come then they can play the World Cup without us.
We will adopt an aggressive approach. Our team is showing performance. I’ve always said we need to improve the economy of Pakistan cricket, and that can only happen when we perform well.
In the 2021 T20 World Cup, we beat India. We beat India in the T20 Asia Cup. In one year, the Pakistan cricket team defeated a billion-dollar economy team twice.”
The Indian cricket team hasn’t toured Pakistan in 2005-06. The two teams haven’t played any bilateral cricket with each other for years and have only locked horns in ICC events.
The two sides first played in 1952, when Pakistan toured India. Tests and, later, limited overs series have been played ever since, although a number of planned tours by both sides have been cancelled or aborted due to political factors.
No cricket was played between the two countries between 1962 and 1977 due to two major wars in 1965 and 1971, and the 1999 Kargil War and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks have also interrupted cricketing ties between the two nations.
After each terrorist attack in India, it was revealed that these terrorist attacks were planned by Pakistan, ISI, and Pakistan-based terrorist organisations.
Notably, Pakistan last hosted a multi-nation event in 2009 (Asia Cup). Teams from around the world stopped touring the nation after a terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team, outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, in 2009.
International cricket returned to Pakistan when Zimbabwe toured the country for a three-match ODI series in 2015.
Sri Lanka, too, lended a helping hand in 2017, touring Pakistan only for a solitary ODI. Since then, several teams have toured Pakistan, including Australia earlier this year. England will tour Pakistan next month to play three Tests, starting December 1.
