WATCH- ‘Does it benefit WTC?’- Aakash Chopra on India–Bangladesh Tests in bilaterals after BCB refuse to tour India

Bangladesh has asked ICC to move its matches out of India to Sri Lanka in T20 World Cup.

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned whether India and Bangladesh playing Tests in bilateral series will benefit the World Test Championship amidst the ongoing tension between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

This stemmed after the BCCI told the KKR team to remove fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 plans amid growing attacks on the Hindu religious minority and anti-Indian sentiments in Bangladesh.

In retaliation, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has refused to send the Bangladesh team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, where the Tigers are to play four group stage games in Kolkata and Mumbai. BCB has requested ICC to move their games from India to co-host Sri Lanka.

Aakash Chopra stated that even if India played Tests in a bilateral series with Bangladesh, what would it achieve in the World Test Championship (WTC), given the circumstances that could make India's relationship with Bangladesh similar to that with Pakistan, where the teams have been forced to play in neutral venues in ICC events and refuse to travel to each other's countries?

He also reminded people that the last time India played Bangladesh in a two-Test series, they were routed 0-2, with one of the Tests in Kanpur ending in three days, despite two days being lost to rain.

“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 benefit 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. In the past WTC cycles, when has Pakistan finished in the top 3? Not even once. So how does it make a huge difference to world cricket in that way?” he added.  

The Bangladesh government has also inserted itself in the BCCI and BCB tensions, as its Information and Broadcasting Ministry has announced that the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been banned indefinitely in the country.