Imran Khan takes a jibe at Indian government, says cricket grounds in India have a 'terrible atmosphere'
Former Pakistan all-rounder and the current Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken a dig at the Indian government and insinuated that the atmosphere would be terrible if an India-Pakistan series were to take place under the current regime in India.
Speaking about India's 2005 tour of Pakistan, where the Men in Blue ousted the hosts, Imran Khan said that Pakistan had cheered the Indian side, but expecting a similar reception from India was not possible.
“When India came to Pakistan in 2005, again the governments were trying to get close. I never thought I would see on a cricket ground what happened. Pakistan lost to India in Pakistan and the crowds cheered the Indian team. Great atmosphere." Imran Khan said on the Out Of Exile documentary on Sky Sports
“Right now, playing cricket in this atmosphere with this sort of a government in power, I would imagine it would be a terrible atmosphere on the cricket ground." added Imran Khan
The 1992 World Cup-winning captain also mentioned that the India-Pakistan rivalry was in a league of its own in terms of tension, pressure, and enjoyment.
“There’s nothing quite like the Ashes for the English. But Pakistan-India series is just in a different league in terms of tension, pressure, and enjoyment,” added Imran Khan.
Pakistan and India last played a full-fledged bilateral tour in 2007
Increasing political tensions have made the BCCI steer away from any potential bilateral series between the two countries. The arch-rivals have not played a full bilateral Test series since 2007 when Pakistan visited India for three Tests and five One-Day Internationals.
They played a short series of three ODIs and two T20s in India in December 2012, but otherwise, the teams have faced each other only at ICC events or the Asia Cup.