Tri-series on the cards if Asia Cup falls through?

The BCCI is expected to take a call on the upcoming Asia Cup in a couple of days. All eyes will be on the Indian cricket board’s position on the continental championship in which arch-rivals Pakistan, with whom the country was engaged in military conflict not too long ago, will be involved.

Relations between India and Pakistan soured following the Pahalgam terror attacks in which 26 people, mostly innocent tourists were killed. It resulted in retaliatory military action against Pakistan-based terror outfits, jeopardising the future of the Asia Cup, originally scheduled from September 10-28.

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Earlier this year, India and hosts Pakistan faced off in the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai (the neutral venue according to a mutually-agreed deal).

A final call on hosting the continental tournament, involving Pakistan, will naturally be taken by the BCCI only after getting the nod from the Government of India. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting is scheduled on July 24 in Dhaka, and the BCCI will reportedly be represented by vice president Rajiv Shukla.

This year’s Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format, serving as a prime preparation ground for the ICC T20 World Cup that India will host early next year. With less time to go before the international tournament, the Asia Cup will be a test run for team combinations and plans.

But if the tournament does not get the government’s clearance, the BCCI could come up with a tri-nation tournament during the same period. Besides that, India was to tour Bangladesh from August 17-31 for a three-match ODI and T20I series, but the tour was shelved.

Post that, it has been reliably learnt that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has requested the BCCI for a brief white-ball series in August. The Indian board is yet to officially respond to Sri Lanka’s proposal. Should the series go ahead, it could see the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – both currently out of two of the three formats and playing only in the ODIs – back in action next month.

BCCI secretary Devajit Lon Saikia is expected to be at Lord’s for the ongoing third Test between India and England, and a final call on Sri Lanka’s proposal is likely to be taken after due consultation with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and other top players during or after the match. The BCCI is expected to respond to SLC’s request following those consultations.