No plans for India-Pakistan Test series at a neutral venue: Report

Hours after it was reported that Pakistan was open to playing bilateral Test Series with India at a neutral venue, a report said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday rejected any such plan in the offing. "No plans for such kind of series to happen in the future or upcoming days," a BCCI source told the news agency ANI. "We aren't ready for any kind of bilateral series with Pakistan."

Earlier today, Pakistan's media reported that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi had given a green signal to a potential India-Pakistan Test series at a neutral venue.

India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral series since 2013 and they have not played a Test against each other since December 2007. 

"Yes, I think bilateral Test matches can be played in Australia, England, and South Africa," Sethi was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning. "But I think the best bet would be England, and following that Australia. If you can get a house full in any of the Australian stadiums, fine, that would be great."

This year, two key ICC events - Asia Cup and World Cup - are lined up, one to be hosted by Pakistan while the other by India. However, the cricket boards of both countries have made it clear that their teams will not travel to each other's countries. There have been reports that both countries may work out a formula for playing at a neutral venue.

Earlier this month, Najam Sethi said that Pakistan's cricket board was ready for a "compromise situation" and the option of a hybrid model can be explored for Asia Cup, which is slated to be held in August-September. He said if India are agreeing to play the Asia Cup matches at a neutral venue, the same can be done during the ODI World Cup.

"If India are ready to play in Pakistan, there is no problem at all, then we will also go to India to play the World Cup. If that's not possible, then the hybrid model can be used as a compromise," the PCB chairman said.

Pakistan's Dawn recently reported that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - two important members of the Asian Cricket Council - have expressed willingness to support PCB's "hybrid model" for the Asia Cup 2023 to address Indian concerns. The PCB has offered to let India play their matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dawn reported.

Watch: Billionaire Gautam Adani, Chaiperson of Adani Group helps airlift injured mountaineer from Kathmandu to AIIMS Delhi