Why did Team India avoid travelling to Pakistan for ICC Champions Trophy 2025? Hardik Pandya's reply goes viral

Hardik Pandya, Team India's star all-rounder, responded after being asked about the reason of Men in Blue did not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan was the host of the recently concluded Champions Trophy's 9th edition but India played all of its matches in Dubai citing security concerns. This hybrid model was agreed upon between the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

During the post-match presser, a Pakistani journalist asked Hardik why the Indian cricket team chose not to travel to Pakistan for the CT2025 as there are many fans of Indian cricketers, to which the Indian all-rounder quipped, ''Badiya hai sir, woh chahte the or nahi ho paya toh I'm sure yahan ki jitne bhi Pakistani fans hai unhone bhi enjoy kiya hoga. Ab woh kyun nahi gaye, kahan nahi gaye, I think mere pay grade se above cheez hai so, yeah, yehi bol sakta hun (It's good that many Pakistanis who are fans of Indian cricketers, wanted to see us play in Pakistan. I'm sure many Pakistanis who are living here in Dubai they must have enjoyed watching us play. Now, the question of why we didn't go is way above my pay grade).''

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93)

Hardik Pandya vs NZ in CT2025 Final

Hardik Pandya has proved his mettle in the middle order throughout the tournament. However, in the Final of the Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand, the all-rounder couldn't churn out big in both the batting and bowling departments. He was quite expensive in bowling as he shed 30 runs in 3 overs. On the batting front, he came to bat when Team India was inching closer to a comfortable win against the Blackcaps. But, Pandya managed to maintain the strike rate of 100 and scored 18 runs off 18 balls.