Ramaswamy Mohan remains India’s foremost cricket writer, and a political analyst. Based in Chennai as the Resident Editor of the Deccan Chronicle newspaper, his views carry weight given his access to and knowledge of the inner workings of the BCCI.

He spoke to The News on Sunday on the ongoing Indo-Pak cricket impasse in a no-holds-barred mien.

Excerpts from the interview.

TNS: What do you make of the BCCI secretary’s recent suggestion to the PCB to ask the Pakistani government to approach its counterpart for possible series resumption?

RM: Ultimately, it is the government’s decision when it comes to cricket ties with Pakistan. Unless Narendra Modi decides at the prompting of (BJP President) Amit Shah and (Finance Minister and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha) Arun Jaitley, it is unlikely that ties will resume soon. But they are making a big mistake here. Pakistan is only asking that India play them at venues in the Gulf. There is no reason why India should not play Pakistan at neutral venues, including the Gulf.

TNS: What are the political implications of the scheduled series ultimately not taking place?

RM: They might have a bearing on the government-to-government talks at higher levels that have broken down. But, as history shows, things will find their own level in time. Right now, it appears Pakistan is holding a gun to BCCI’s head for a series. Why not think of putting it off for a year and playing in 2016 after things have cooled down?

Read also: The deafening silence of bat and ball

TNS: Will a boycott of next year’s World T20 in India by Pakistan impact the premier tournament, in particular, and world cricket, in general? If so, how?

RM: If Pakistan does not play the 2016 T20 World Cup, it will be Pakistan and Pakistani cricket’s loss. What 2011 taught us was it is possible for India to provide water tight security for Pakistani cricketers in a world event. Financially speaking, Pakistan cannot afford to skip the T20 World Cup. It must play and not cut its nose to spite its face.

TNS: How can politics be separated from sport, and the ice broken?

RM: India can break the ice by allowing the series to be played away from India. The tensions of the subcontinent may not permit resumption of bilateral ties. Given the security scenario of UAE, it will be perfectly alright for India to tour there and play Pakistan.

The separation of politics from sport is not easy in the Asian environment because as nations we are not that mature or that evolved yet. Playing sport at neutral venues does not hold the same threats. Why not Pakistan play India in the UAE, UK, USA, Australia or elsewhere provided the hosts are willing to take the responsibility of providing security to the players?

TNS: Given the murmurs of dissent, do you foresee a rebellion within the ICC that may lead to rethinking the current order?

RM: Right now, India has a stranglehold on ICC, which cannot so much as catch a cold without BCCI permission. If Pakistan pulls out of T20 World Cup and creates a precedent of boycotting a multilateral event that has nothing to do with domestic politics, it would be digging its own grave. There is no place for rebellions in world sport that is tightly controlled by the money flow which will come only to official sport.