If the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has its way, no Indian would ever set foot on Pakistani soil. The Indian team is already set to play its matches of the ICC Champions Trophy in the UAE, and skipper Rohit Sharma was always unlikely to cross the border if there was any opening ceremony, joint press conference or photoshoot of all the captains. Now, the only Indians in the elite panels of umpires and match referees, Nitin Menon and Javagal Srinath, respectively, have said that they will not be officiating in the tournament.

With neutral umpires and match referees in operation at ICC events, the two wouldn’t have been assigned matches in the UAE, and would have had to stand in matches in Pakistan if they went for the Champions Trophy.

While Menon cited “personal reasons” for his decision not to travel to Pakistan, former India pacer Srinath chose the Champions Trophy to go on leave on the grounds that he had been away from home a lot during the last few months. The actual reason may not have been mentioned, but nobody was left in any doubt over what it was. Now, the richest, most powerful and most influential entity in world cricket won’t have any representation among match officials at a global ICC event.

The withdrawal may have been prompted by the fact that if Menon and Srinath had gone to Pakistan, questions would have been asked about the ‘security concerns’ that kept the Indian players away. There was a time when Indians officiated in matches in Pakistan and umpires from that country came across and even stood in IPL games. But those must be different times!

ICC chairman Jay Shah may have to go to Pakistan as per protocol to hand over the trophy, or the other awards, after the Champions Trophy final on March 9. That’s assuming India doesn’t make the title clash, in which case the match will be held in Dubai. Whether or not he does so remains to be seen.

Off-field drama

The Champions Trophy is still 10 days away and would need to provide much excitement if it has to compete with the drama off the field, in boards and offices. There was much back-and-forth over whether India would go to Pakistan for the tournament before the BCCI, predictably, had its way. Interestingly, the decision to give the hosting rights of the Champions Trophy to Pakistan, the first major tournament there since 1996, was made a long time ago and BCCI must have been party to the call. Relations between the two neighbours weren’t rosy at that time either and going by history, there would have been uncertainty over India travelling to Pakistan then as well. Maybe, the BCCI was always confident that it could get India’s matches relocated elsewhere.

It gives rise to the prospect of the designated tournament host having to go abroad to play a match. The ICC could have avoided that scenario by having India and Pakistan in separate pools, but the eyeballs, revenue, publicity and social-media chatter generated by a meeting of the two teams – who only face off in multilateral events nowadays – seems too much to resist. In fact, it may seem that the rarity of an India-Pakistan encounter plays right into the hands of the ICC and the boards, making fans look forward to the fixture – guaranteed at every tournament – even more. So, notwithstanding all the posturing, everyone knows where everyone stands. As one writes this, a three-part documentary titled ‘The Greatest Rivalry – India vs Pakistan’ is being streamed on an OTT platform, just two weeks before the two teams clash in Dubai. The timing betrays that it’s more of a build-up element than a genuine attempt to explore the subject.

Any self-respecting world governing body of a sport would not allow itself to be dictated to in this manner. But the ICC recognises that it’s the supreme decision-making authority in name only. So, it and the other member boards have to play ball, whether it’s the issue of match venues or match officials. The ICC has come up with the system of India and Pakistan playing each other on neutral territory over the next four years, but it makes a bit of a mockery of host-country status. It’s just an attempt to preserve its cash cow for the foreseeable future without antagonising the most dominant constituent. The other boards also know who is in charge and whose side to take.

WTC options

Surprisingly, though the ICC insists on having at least one India-Pakistan match in its white-ball tournaments, there’s no immediate prospect of the neighbours facing off in the longest format. The last Test between the two countries was way back in 2007. The World Test Championship (WTC) was introduced in 2019 to give much-needed context to the five-day game.

As it stands, the WTC comprises just nine teams and teams play three home series and three away in a two-year cycle. The Future Tours Programme (FTP) is decided mutually between boards without the ICC having any say in the matter. India, England and Australia play each other in every cycle. In addition to that, if two teams are not to play any bilateral series, it means four opponents out of five for India to choose from. Not many options, one has to say!

Cricket, despite its global ambitions – it will be played at the 2028 Olympics at Los Angeles – is still a pretty small sport at the top level. It’s pretty obvious that the decision to include the sport in the Games programme had a lot to do with the International Olympic Committee seeking a bigger slice of the Indian market. It’s evident in the fact that wherever the Indian team plays, home or away, their supporters vastly outnumber those of the other team. Indian money largely bankrolls the game worldwide – a fact underscored by the sale of stake in The Hundred in England. Most of the buying has been done by owners of IPL franchises and Indian-origin tech honchos, and the biggest issue facing the various domestic leagues around the world (other than the IPL) is if and when India’s biggest cricketing stars will be allowed to play elsewhere.

It’s this dominance, financial and narrative-wise, that allows everyone associated with Indian cricket to dictate terms whenever they feel fit.