Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur has categorically stated that India will not be playing any match with Pakistan for the time being. The response from the Indian cricket board chief comes at the back of the Uri attack, which left as many as 18 Indian Army jawans martyred.
The two nations have not indulged in a bilateral series since 2012-13. India and Pakistan were scheduled to play a series in December 2015, but even that didn't see the light of the day as the governments of both the nations couldn't come to a consensus. And at the back of the recent events, the likelihood of seeing the two nations playing against each other anytime this year seems majorly doubtful.
"In the context of what has happened [Uri attack], even considering such a thought [of India playing against Pakistan] is not appropriate," Thakur minced no words as he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.
"India has defeated Pakistan in wars of 1965, 1971 and Kargil. It also defeated Pakistan in all World Cup cricket matches. It can decimate Pakistan anytime but it is more important to isolate it globally," the cricket administrator, who is also a Territorial Army officer of the country, added.
Pakistan played in India during the ICC World T20 2016. However, it wasn't a smooth sailing that time as well. The Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan government had appointed a delegation to find out if it was viable for their team to play in India. After discussions, the scheduled match between India and Pakistan at Dharamsala finally took place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Fortunately, the match didn't witness any major security breach.
