India will not be traveling to Pakistan and will play its matches at a different venue
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Asia cup 2024 is still a few months away but the news regarding the same has started to flow in and one of the biggest talking points before the Asia cup is whether India will travel to Pakistan to play in the tournament which is being hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board in Pakistan this year given the political tension that surrounds the relations of the two neighboring countries as they haven’t been in good talking terms off late and there were also some reports which suggested that Pakistan might not come to India to take part in the world cup to be held later this year in October.
BCCI Decision on Asia Cup 2024
The BCCI (Board Of Control For Cricket in India) has clarified that they are in talks with the concerned ministry and assured that the Pakistani Team will get its visa before the world cup.Â
Image Courtesy: The Economic Times
Talking about the Asia cup 2024, there is some good news for cricket fans in Pakistan as it is almost certain that the Asia cup will be held in Pakistan. Although, the Indian Team will be playing its matches at a different venue because of security concerns. The BCCI has been quite vocal about not sending the Indian Team to Pakistan due to the sour relations between the two countries and also considering the current political turmoil in the country the board has taken this decision keeping in mind the safety and well-being of its players and support staff alike.
It was certain that India won’t travel to Pakistan when it was announced that the country will be hosting the Asia Cup in 2024 and it was expected that a new venue will be announced before the tournament starts. All the speculations proved to be partially correct as the reports suggest that only non-India will be played in Pakistan.Â
Image Courtesy: Zee News
Potential Venues For The Indian Team
If we talk about the potential venues for matches of the Indian team then the first name which comes to mind is that of UAE and most of the fans would also be thinking that the Rohit Sharma-led side would be playing its matches in the United Arab Emirates because it has been the preferred venue when it comes to hosting matches at a neutral venue.
A prime example of that was the Asia Cup 2018 which was hosted by India but was held in UAE because Pakistan was apprehensive about playing in India. There have been a couple of more instances of UAE being preferred as a neutral venue both of which have come in the last two years. First in 2021 when T20 World Cup which was supposed to be held in India was shifted to UAE due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
The second tournament which was shifted to UAE in the last two years was the Asia Cup 2022 which was hosted by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board in UAE due to the economic crisis in the country.
UAE has been the center of major tournaments during and post-pandemic as the country successfully hosted two IPL (Indian Premier League) seasons in the middle of a pandemic and the efforts of the concerned authorities along with BCCI were appreciated in the cricketing circle. One of the biggest problems teams faced while playing in UAE is that of dew which tilts the game heavily in favor of the team batting second.
A final decision on the second venue is awaited.
