In a significant development ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, Team India captain Rohit Sharma may not attend the pre-tournament photo shoot and press conference in Pakistan.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that Rohit Sharma will not be traveling to Pakistan for the opening ceremony of the competition.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to be held from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan and UAE. Pakistan’s matches will be played in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, while India will play all their matches in Dubai, including the final if they qualify. India and Pakistan will face each other on February 23 in Dubai.
BCCI confirms that Rohit Sharma will not be traveling to Pakistan for a photo shoot
The host country usually arranges a key event with all the captains of the participating teams. This includes a photo shoot and a press conference where the captains share their thoughts on the upcoming competition. For the Champions Trophy, all the eight captains, including Rohit Sharma, were to attend this event.
According to a Times of India report, the BCCI revealed that the board had requested the ICC to move these events, which were to take place just before the start of the tournament, from Pakistan to Dubai.
“The ICC has already granted India’s request not to schedule its CT matches in Pakistan, so these are minor issues,” a source told TOI on Tuesday.
Rohit Sharma’s India don’t want Pakistan’s name on their jerseys
The BCCI has also directed its players not to wear jerseys with Pakistan’s name on them. The PCB is not happy with the BCCI’s actions and is seeking the ICC’s intervention. A PCB official expressed concern, accusing the BCCI of bringing politics into cricket and adding that the ICC will not allow it.
“BCCI is bringing politics into cricket, which is not good for the game at all. They have refused to travel to Pakistan. They don’t want to send their captain (to Pakistan) for the opening ceremony. Now there are reports that they don’t want the name of the host country (Pakistan) printed on their jerseys. We believe the world governing body (ICC) will not allow this to happen and support Pakistan,” a PCB official told IANS on condition. anonymity.
India placed in Group A along with Pakistan for the Champions Trophy
During the 2022 Asia Cup, India and Pakistan wore jerseys that read “Sri Lanka”, as the tournament was held in the UAE due to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. However, in the 2023 edition, the host country (Pakistan) was not included on the jerseys, as the event was played on a hybrid model.
For the upcoming Champions Trophy, India have been placed in Group A along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. India will begin their campaign with a match against Bangladesh on February 20. India were runners-up in the 2017 Champions Trophy, losing to Pakistan by 180 runs in the final match.
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