The Indian cricket board is awaiting clearance from their government before confirming the national team’s tour of Bangladesh, BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul revealed on Monday.
Although the full schedule was announced over two and a half months ago, uncertainty now surrounds India’s tour. The participation of top stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli depends on the Indian government’s decision.
Speaking to the media after a BCB board meeting that lasted over six hours at the Mirpur headquarters, Aminul addressed the situation.
As per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), India are scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on August 13 for a series of three ODIs and three T20Is. The first ODI is set to be played at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on August 17.
The India series was one of the key topics discussed in the board meeting. On this, Aminul initially shared a hopeful tone:
“We’re in talks with the BCCI. We’ll hopefully be able to share something soon. The discussions are going positively.”
When asked whether India’s hesitation had anything to do with the changed political situation following last year’s mass uprising in Bangladesh, Aminul did not give a direct answer. However, his comments hinted at lingering uncertainty.
“There’s no fixed date like August or September. We’re discussing how to make the series happen. If, for any reason, they can’t come in August… the discussions aren’t final yet… then the series could be held in the next available window.”
Despite the uncertainty, Aminul reassured that the BCB is doing everything possible to host the series in August as originally planned.
“No, India hasn’t suggested postponing it… discussions are ongoing. We’ve kept the window open and we’ll try to hold the series during that time (August). At the moment, I can’t say more, but they’ve been very professional and cooperative.”
Political tensions have long prevented India from touring Pakistan. Bilateral series between the two nations remain suspended, and even during global or Asian tournaments, India refuses to travel to Pakistan, consistently citing the lack of government clearance.
Now, a similar situation seems to be unfolding for the Bangladesh tour. According to the BCB president, the Indian board is once again awaiting government approval.
“This (August) was the scheduled time. But apart from the senior national team, they have some concerns about sending other teams. Their national team is currently in England. They’re waiting for certain decisions from the government. Their Under-23 team was supposed to tour Sri Lanka, but that has also been postponed. Still, based on the level of discussion we’ve had, we remain hopeful.”
