BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla comments on India-Pakistan U-turn: The 2026 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan is about to kick off and the latter has decided to revoke its stance of not playing their arch-rivals in major tournaments. Pakistan changed its decision after lengthy discussions with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

They made the announcement at midnight on Monday after meeting some of Pakistan’s demands during the meeting. reconsider their decision. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which had remained silent throughout the fiasco, finally spoke out about Pakistan’s U-turn. In an interview with ANI, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla shared his views after Pakistan finally agreed to participate in the important matches of the ICC tournament.

Rajeev Shukla shares his thoughts on India-Pakistan dispute

On the issue of Pakistan playing India in the T20 Cricket World Cup, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said: “I am happy to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by the ICC representatives and overseen by the ICC president and representatives who traveled to Lahore to talk to the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Bangladesh Cricket Board.”

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“It was a good solution, an amicable solution that prioritized the importance of cricket in the game. That’s what we did. So all the credit goes to the ICC for taking this step, sorting out the whole issue and bringing cricket back to the forefront. It’s a huge achievement as far as the ICC is concerned.”

Rajiv Shukla thanks ICC for resolving India-Pakistan fiasco

Rajiv Shukla also thanked the ICC for being a mediator as ICC vice-president Imran Khawaja is acting as a mediator between the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board to ensure that the tournament goes ahead keeping in mind that the cricketing fraternity will suffer if the tournament does not take place.

Shukla said, “So I want to thank the ICC for taking this step and bringing Pakistan to the table and finally deciding to let Pakistan play in Colombo. This is good news for all of us that the match that was scheduled to be played in Colombo on February 15 will go ahead as scheduled. Pakistan will also be playing. So now this World Cup will be a huge success story as well.”

Rajiv Shukla concluded by saying: “As far as these negotiations are concerned, Bangladesh’s feelings have also been relieved and their board has also got some relief and they are also happy. In fact, they have praised the ICC for their efforts. It is a win-win situation for everyone and I am happy that the tournament can be held smoothly and the World Cup will be a successful event.”

India vs Pakistan always has off-field drama

India vs Pakistan is the highlight of all ICC events as it generates twice as much revenue as any other match. The ICC and organizers also benefit from ticket sales, sponsorships and ticket sales. Therefore, it will be a huge loss if the match is not held on February 15 at the R Premedasa Stadium in Colombo.

Pakistan and India won the opening matches respectively. The Men in Green will take on Team USA today, who nearly pulled off an upset victory over the defending champions in their first match.

Also read: Mohsin Naqvi exposed: PCB pleads with BCB to formally appeal before Pakistan boycotts India’s U-turn