Worsening diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh could push bilateral cricket between the two neighbours into cold storage, with the BCCI unlikely to tour Bangladesh despite an engagement announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
On Friday, the BCB said a six-match white-ball series would be played in September and even announced the dates, claiming to have consulted the BCCI.
As per the BCB schedule, three ODIs are slated for September 1, 3 and 6, followed by three T20Is on September 9, 12 and 13, with the Indian team expected to arrive in Bangladesh on 28 August.
The series was originally scheduled to be held last year but was called off indefinitely due to security concerns raised by the Indian board.
It is reliably learnt that the BCCI is unlikely to go ahead with the tour even this time, a major indication being its instruction to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the squad.
The BCCI’s reluctance to tour stems from the current volatile situation in Bangladesh, which has been in the grip of political violence for the past six months.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play their T20 World Cup matches in India as early as next month, and the BCB’s stance on that participation will be keenly watched in the wake of Rahman’s ouster from the IPL on BCCI instructions.
If the situation deteriorates further, a scenario similar to the one between India and Pakistan is not completely unimaginable.
India and Pakistan play all their ICC games at neutral venues due to frosty relations that worsened further after the Pahalgam terror attack last year.
The much-awaited Indo-Pak fixture of the T20 World Cup will be played in Sri Lanka next month.
Ties between India and Bangladesh have soured following the ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August last year after anti-government protests.
She was sentenced to death in absentia by a tribunal this year for her alleged role in a deadly crackdown during the agitation in which several students were killed.
Dhaka summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma five times over various issues, while India summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner Reaz Hamidullah once to convey concerns over security in Bangladesh.
The transition from what was widely regarded as an "India-friendly" Awami League government to the Muhammad Yunus-led interim dispensation has significantly altered Bangladesh’s diplomatic position.