What’s the story?
Ruling out any future India-Pakistan bilateral series, Vijay Goel, the Indian sports minister has said that Pakistan as the nation has already crossed the "Lakshmana Rekha" by sponsoring terrorism in the India.
"For everything, there is a Lakshmana Rekha. But when the line is crossed then a message has to be given. This (boycott) is a message. We have clearly stated terrorism and sports cannot go side-by-side. As long as Pakistan doesn't stop cross-border terror and (instigating) trouble in Kashmir..then there is no chance for bilateral series and also the national mood doesn't support it," Goel said while addressing media at the sidelines of a youth delegation meet in China.
The Details
Goel also spoke about how terrorism and talks cannot go together and that Pakistan deserves to be isolated at the global stage for sponsoring terrorism in the country.
He also spoke about the resignation of one of the CoA members Ramachandra Guha and said that he is not in any position to comment on the developments since it was a committee appointed by the Supreme Court of India.
Apparently, the minister believes that the national mood in India does not favour cricketing ties with Pakistan in the current scenario and that the Indian Government has to make a call on the issue.
In case you didn’t know...
The India-Pakistan bilateral series has hogged headlines over the past few months as the BCCI has clearly said that they cannot make any call unless the Indian government gives it go ahead on the issue.
However, with the volatile relationship between the two nations, any chance of a green flag does not seem to be too optimistic.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier met with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in Dubai to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to play six bilateral series between 2015 to 2023. However, the meeting did not end with any decisions and the stalemate continues between the boards.
What's next?
India-Pakistan series always grabs eyeballs and it is a big ticket event in the cricketing spectrum as was reiterated during the match in the Champions Trophy. However, the bilateral series will always depend on the respective boards and currently, the Indian board needs a positive signal from the Government before they make any call.
Author's Take
This is not the first time Vijay Goel has spoken about the cricketing relationships between the two nations and by all means, this could translate into no bilateral series between India and Pakistan anytime in the near future.
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