Stating the obvious here for anyone who doesn't know - the currnet chairman of ICC (and ex-BCCI head) Jay Shah is son of Amit Shah, Modi's right hand man/rumored enforcer-in-chief and current Indian minister for Home Affairs. ICC not only relies on BCCI for financial reasons, but is also directly influenced (if not controlled) by the Indian government at this moment.
*If* something were to happen to the Indian team while in Pakistan, I don't think the current folks in power would even the consider the optics of a non-extreme response. I don't think I would be exaggerating if I said that any act of harm against the Indian cricket team would be interpreted as an act of war. Given the political instability in Pakistan, and the multitude of foreign actors with enough motivation to destabilize the geopolitics of this part of the world, I think it is entirely understandable why India wouldn't take even the minutest of risks to let such events unfold.
Should a single governing party in one cricketing nation have so much sway over a sport? Absolutely not. Should fairness of the game be affected because of this influence? Again, no. Does it make sense why India is playing in Dubai instead of Rawalpindi or Lahore? I think so, yes. It is unfair to the other cricketing sides, especially the Pakistan cricket team, but that's how things are.
Today's game was fun to watch, though. Started the game with more expectations from Gill than Kohli, to be honest - our best batsmen are our openers right now. The first two wickets were taken by unplayable deliveries, it's incredible how often Pakistan seem to have an unssailable bowling outfit and still manage to lose their way.
