Dawn
-
04:50 Sep 06, 2025
DUBAI: Could the Indian government’s own sports policy hold the key to reviving the most watched, most lucrative and most emotionally charged rivalry in Test cricket — Pakistan versus India? Upon reviewing India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ policy on international events, a key clause stands out: “Indian teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India.” Another important line states: “About international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons.” Taken together, the policy is clear: bilateral series remain off-limits, but participation in international and multilateral events is allowed, and India defers to the practices of international sports bodies — in this case, the International Cricket Council (ICC). This is wh...