The cricket match between India and Pakistan has always been affected due to political tension between these two countries. They haven't played a bilateral series with each other since 2012-13 when Pakistan had toured India for some limited-overs games.

Cricket fans are deprived of the famous rivalry and they have to wait for the ICC events to witness the high-voltage clash. The political relationship between the two nations hasn't got any better over the years which doesn't give much hope for a bilateral series either.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly clarified that the cricket boards from both countries don't have to make the decision as the final call is not in their hands. 

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"This is not in the hands of the boards,” said Ganguly during a book launch at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair. “At world tournaments, the two teams do play each other. Bilateral cricket has been stopped for years and this is something that the respective governments have to work on. This is not in Rameez's hands, nor mine," he added. 

During the event in Sharjah, Ganguly also recalled the famous story from India’s tour of Pakistan in 2004, when he breached the security protocols to try out the ‘kebabs’ in Lahore. 

"I got a call from (Pervez) Musharraf warning me that I could do whatever I wanted except breaking security protocols," the former India skipper said.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) President Rameez Raja had earlier said that the two countries should keep politics away from sports. “I met with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah on the sidelines of the ACC meetings.

"We need to create a cricketing bond, while I have also believed that politics should stay away from sport as much as possible and this has always been our stance," said Raja.

(With IANS Inputs)