WATCH: Suryakumar Yadav comments on India’s participation in Champions Trophy

India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav commented on the prospects of the Indian team touring Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, slated to be held in the February-March window next year.

The reigning T20I champions, under Yadav’s leadership, are currently on a tour to South Africa to play a four-match series, levelled at 1-1.

In a video, going viral on social media, Yadav was questioned by a fan regarding India’s refusal to tour Pakistan for the upcoming eight-team tournament, while he was posing for the pictures with fans, alongside fellow batter Rinku Singh.

“Why aren’t you coming to Pakistan?” a fan asked.

To this, the 34-year-old responded with a smile: “It’s not in our hands.”

Yadav’s remarks came in midst of the reports suggesting that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has formally informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that it will not send its national men’s team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, citing the directives of the federal government.

Meanwhile, the PCB, as per the sources, is planning to take a strict action against India and will write a letter to the ICC to seek a written explanation from the BCCI regarding its decision.

Sources further claimed that the PCB would cite the examples of 1996 and 2003 Men’s Cricket World Cups to counter India’s narrative of not visiting Pakistan.

For the unversed, Australia and West Indies refused to tour Sri Lanka for the 1996 mega event, while in 2003, New Zealand and England decided against travelling to Kenya and Zimbabwe respectively. On both instances, the ICC had awarded the points to their respective oppositions.

Meanwhile, the PCB would also highlight that the venues of ICC tournaments were never changed despite any participating team’s refusal.

Considering the aforementioned examples, the PCB may also propose the ‘minus-India’ formula for the Champions Trophy 2025.