BCCI president Roger Binny and vice president Rajiv Shukla on Monday departed for Pakistan on an invitation from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to attend the ongoing 2023 Asia Cup. The duo crossed the Attari-Wagah border to enter the neighbouring country.

This is the first time an Indian cricket delegation has toured Pakistan since the barbaric 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Binny and Shukla are expected to attend an official dinner set to be hosted by the PCB in Lahore, along with the members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and other member cricket boards.

The duo is also likely to attend a couple of 2023 Asia Cup matches at the Gadaffi stadium in Lahore.

Shukla made it clear that their two-day visit is not for political reasons but purely cricket.

“This two-day visit is purely from the point of view of cricket, nothing political, a dinner has been hosted and three teams will be there – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Binny, who is making his first visit to Pakistan since 2006 is looking forward to it and said, “I am looking forward to my visit since we’ve been to Colombo to see matches in Sri Lanka.”

When asked about why the Indian team did not tour Pakistan for the tournament and the future possibility of such a tour, Shukla said, “We will go by the advice of the government, whatever the government will decide we will do that.”

The 2023 Asia Cup is being held in a hybrid model for the first time after the Indian board cited safety concerns for the Indian team to travel to Pakistan, who got the hosting rights of the continental tournament after 15 years. Accordingly, four games of the Asia Cup are scheduled in Pakistan while the other nine, including the final, are being held in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan are in Group A alongside Nepal and India, and have already made their place in the Super Four. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B.

It will be interesting to see whether the Indian team makes the trip to Pakistan which will host the 2025 Champions Trophy, but for now, the Babar Azam-led Pakistan side has agreed to play the ICC World Cup in India, starting October 5.