Sports diplomacy is regarded as the powerful tool to bring nations closer, and opening channels of communication as exemplified by Ping Pong Diplomacy. However, in the case of India and Pakistan, cricket has highlighted the increasing complexities in their relationship.
India’s refusal to participate in ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be held in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9, reflects the sensitive nature of relations between the two South Asian nations and geopolitics of this region.
Why Indian Stance Lacks Substance?
The bilateral cricket relations between two sides have been strained since 2008 with regular cricket exchanges suspended particularly after the Mumbai attacks. Since then, India has refrained from touring Pakistan for any cricket series, citing security concerns.
Following the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, Pakistan faced significant challenges restoring itself as a safe venture for international cricket teams. However, Pakistan’s determination and resilience to bring back cricket to home gradually paid off, with a series of notable tours of international teams. It started with Zimbabwe tour in 2015 that set the stage of what can be best described as a gradual coming Back to Life.
After seven years, Sri Lanka was returned for a historic T20 series in 2017 followed by the tour of West Indies cricket team series in 2018, signaling the end of a long drought.
The resumption of international cricket was further boosted by the tours of Bangladesh, South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia, marking a new chapter in Pakistan’s cricket history.
The year 2022-2023 saw a remarkable surge in the visits of teams like Australia and New Zealand, with full-fledged tours encompassing Test matches, ODIs, and T20s. These visits are proof of Pakistan’s never-say-die attitude to bring back international cricket and that truly, Pakistan can bounce back from the worst.
Recently, Pakistan has demonstrated commendable performance by defeating Aussies on their home ground in the three matches ODI series.
This graph/chart makes Indian accuse of not sending its team for an international event, on security ground if any, uncalled for.
READ ALSO: ICC Champions Trophy Arrives as Pakistan Set to Host Mega Event
Modi’s Hindutva Ideology Shapes India’s Cricket Diplomacy
While Pakistan has been successful in hosting top international teams such as New Zealand, England, South Africa, and Sri Lanka without any problem, India’s refusal to tour Pakistan for 2025 ICC Champions Trophy reveals a different agenda that is based on Modi’s Hindutva ideology. Instead of simply safeguarding players, this course only contributes to support Modi’s view on the creation of a separate Indian identity based on the legacy of cricket, which aligns with the Hindutva political agenda. This decision reveals how even sports diplomacy can turn into a theatre of the ideological battlefield and converts the cricket pitch into a new geography of geopolitics between India and Pakistan.
Geopolitical Dynamics in Cricket
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) holds monopoly within the International Cricket Council (ICC). This monopoly helps BCCI to negotiate over matters concerning venues of the tournament and bilateral series. The interplay of economics and politics in the governance of the cricket game reflects geopolitical strategies where decisions regarding sports are not solely based on merits of a game but are often intertwined with political interests.
India’s decision to abstain from touring Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is a perfect example of how entwined cricket and politics are. The consequences range from financial costs, to strengthening of political polarisation, to perpetual security threats, and influence on the competitiveness of cricket in the region.
Economic Implications
India-Pakistan cricket matches are among the most watched sporting events in the world and make a huge contribution to the ICC’s revenue. These contests are generally referred to as ‘Mother of all matches’ as these games garner massive viewership across the world; the 2023 World Cup match, for example, received 173 million viewers on television in India alone, and 225 million on digital platforms.
The ICC sold $3.2 billion of broadcast rights for the period of 2024-2027 and expects another $1 billion from other sources both of which are highly dependent on India-Pakistan contests. Hence, the cricket governing body’s future revenues will be greatly influenced by these big-ticket fixtures. Thus, India’s decision not to participate in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan can have severe financial implications for the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), potentially affecting broadcasting rights, sponsorships as well as tourism related revenues – thus extending the economic implications of this geopolitical decision.
In a nutshell, cricket is recognized all over the world and it can work to bring peace but this is only possible if cricket stays detached of these political fights. Owing to worsening India-Pakistan relations, it becomes essential for international actors to ensure that politics does not supersede cricket. Both the ICC as well as diplomatic bodies must take the initiative of developing frameworks that will help safeguard the sport from geopolitical rivalry. Hoping for the value of cricket to be seen in its ability to unite people rather than to divide them, international cooperation can guarantee that the game will remain the instrument of global unity.
