cricket

Updated: Aug 22, 2018 12:19 IST

Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has suggested a way to somewhat resume cricketing ties between India and Pakistan. In a video, in which Sidhu is seen conversing with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf senator Faisal Javed, he suggested a three-match series between the winners of Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“Cricket takes us to a whole new level,” Sidhu said before leaving for Lahore after attending Prime Minister Imran Khan’s oath-taking ceremony in Islamabad. “A match between the winning team of the IPL and PSL is a good idea.”

Dean Jones, who is the coach of reigning PSL champions Islamabad United, supported Sidhu’s idea and said that his team is ready for the challenge.

The former cricketer attended the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan’s Prime Minister-elect Imran Khan in Islamabad. Imran Khan, Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup winning captain, secured the most seats in the recently-held Pakistan general elections. Along with Sidhu, he extended invitations to former Indian captains Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev.

However, Gavaskar and Kapil turned down the invitations owing to the volatile relationship between the two countries.

Sidhu was slapped with a sedition case on Monday by a lawyer in Bihar for insulting the Indian Army after he hugged Pakistan’s army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa at the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan as Pakistan’s prime minister.

Sidhu, facing criticism for hugging Pakistan’s army chief, said on Tuesday the gesture was made in an “emotional moment” and that his trip was not politically motivated.