‘Is it actually benefitting the World Test Championships?’: Aakash Chopra on situation if India and Bangladesh stop playing bilateral series

Bangladesh's Taskin Ahmed celebrates the wicket of India's captain Rohit Sharma on the second day of the first cricket test match between India and Bangladesh, in Chennai, India, Friday, Sept.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

With Bangladesh refusing to come to play the T20 World Cup in India due to the BCCI’s instruction that led to Mustafizur Rahman’s release from Kolkata Knight Riders which stemmed from the ongoing political tensions between the two countries, former cricketer Aakash Chopra said he backed the India board’s decision.

With situations arising which might turn India’s relationship with Bangladesh like that with Pakistan with the teams refusing to travel to each other’s countries and having been relegated to play in neutral venues in ICC events, Chopra said even if India play Tests in a bilateral series with Bangladesh, what would it accomplish?

“Don’t come to play the World Cup in India. It’s fine. A lot of people keep saying that ‘Pakistan does not come to India and now Bangladesh will also not come to India. Only 9 teams play Test cricket. So should we just keep playing with the 7 teams in the World Test Championships?’ To them I say so what? If we play Bangladesh in Tests, is it actually benefitting the World Test Championships? Last time we played them, there were 2 Tests of which one was completed in one and a half days. Our batters had absolutely dominated their bowlers. It’s not as if they will improve all of a sudden,” he said on his YouTube channel.

“We are not playing Pakistan. I the past WTC cycles, when have Pakistan finished in the to 3? Not even once. So how does it make a huge difference to world cricket in that way?,” he added.

On Monday, Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement that there will be no telecast of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in the country. The statement cited the ouster of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur from the Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad for the 2026 season as the reason behind the indefinite ban.

The ongoing political crisis between the two countries has thrown a shadow of uncertainty on their cricketing ties, with the BCCI on Saturday also putting India’s tour of Bangladesh later this year on hold along with getting KKR to release Mustafizur.