India decide against travelling to Pakistan for Champions Trophy: report

India won’t be travelling to Pakistan for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy scheduled to be played between February-March, Indian media reported Friday.

According to Indian Express, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about its decision and asked them to shift India games to Dubai.

“This has been our stance and there is no reason to change that. We have written to them and asked them to shift our games to Dubai,” the publication quoted its source.

Top eight teams of the world are to set to take part in the February 19 to March 9 in the tournament, which will be played in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Those in the know say that the BCCI continued to stick to its stand over Pakistan “in consultation with the government”.

Last year before the Asia Cup, India, despite the pressure from hosts Pakistan, had managed to shift its matches to Sri Lanka.

Earlier, reports emerged that both countries might normalize cricketing ties following India External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting at Islamabad.

The last time India toured Pakistan was in the 2008 Asia Cup.