Indian Sports Minister Anurag Thakur reacted strongly on Thursday to Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) threat to pull out of next year's Cricket World Cup in India following Jay Shah's statement regarding the 2023 Asia Cup.
"The ODI World Cup will take place next year in India and all big teams around the globe will take part in it because you can't ignore India in any sport. India has contributed a lot to sports, especially cricket. What is cricket without India," the Sports Minister told reporters in New Delhi.
Thakur added that the possibility of the Indian cricket team traveling to Pakistan hasn't been completely ruled out but the chances of that happening are minuscule.
He claimed that the Indian government was concerned about the security of the country's cricketers in Pakistan and will only make its decision after assessing the threat perception over there.
"Possibilities are always there. Who thought there would be COVID-19? Anything can happen but the chances (of the Indian team traveling to Pakistan) are not much. It's a decision that will be taken by the home ministry. Overall, players' safety and security is an important matter," the minister elaborated.
Earlier this week, Shah was slammed by several former Pakistani cricketers, including former captain Younis Khan, legendary batter Saeed Anwar, and ex-allrounder Shahid Afridi among others. Shah triggered the criticism by stating that the Men in Blue would not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and instead the tournament would be moved to a neutral venue.
On the other hand, the PCB called Shah's remarks unilateral, and surprising. The Pakistan cricket body went on to state that the BCCI secretary's remarks could lead to a vertical split in the Asian and international cricket community.
"The overall impact of such statements have the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communities and can impact Pakistan's visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC Events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle," PCB said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.
The huge controversy comes at a time when the two sides are preparing for an epic battle set to take place on Sunday.
The Rohit Sharma-led Team India and Babar Azam's boys meet in a blockbuster T20 World Cup clash in Melbourne at the iconic MCG this weekend, with both sides looking to end their drought in the elite competition.
India won their maiden and only T20 World Cup title in South Africa in 2007 while Pakistan accomplished the feat in 2009. Since then, both teams have failed to add a single title to their trophy cabinet.