Govt set to strike down BCCI's request for Indo-Pak series: Report

Fans will have to wait longer for an Indo-Pak series.

New Delhi: With frosty relations between the two neighbors at the diplomatic level, Narendra Modi-led NDA government is all set to reject BCCI's proposal to play Pakistan at a neutral venue.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the government is not in favor of granting permission for a bilateral series considering the prevailing public mood in the country.

“The government has given us an indication that public sentiment at the moment is against Pakistan, which is involved in anti-India activities. Also, there are only a few days left for the proposed series to start (in the latter half of December). If the government wanted us to play, we would have got clearance a long time ago. So, I don’t think this series is happening,” a senior BCCI official told HT.

“We are yet to take a decision,” said board secretary Anurag Thakur.

The BCCI had requested permission from the government to play a short ODI and T20 series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had given the green signal to the PCB for the series as well.

According to the report, public statements made by senior BCCI officials like Rajeev Shukla in favor of the Indo-Pak series too have not gone down well with the Indian government.