In a significant development ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, 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 travel to Pakistan for the opening ceremony of the event.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to be held from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. 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 travel to Pakistan for a photo shoot
The host nation usually organizes a key event with all participating team captains. 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 expected to attend this event.
According to a Times of India report, the BCCI has revealed that the board has asked the ICC to move these events, which are set to take place just before the start of the tournament, from Pakistan to Dubai.
“The ICC has already accepted India's request not to schedule its CT matches in Pakistan, so these are minor issues,” the source told TOI on Tuesday.
Rohit Sharma's India don't want Pakistan's name on their jerseys
The BCCI has also instructed its players not to wear shirts with Pakistan's name on them. PCB is unhappy with BCCI's actions and seeks 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 at all for the game. 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 nation host (Pakistan) to be printed on their shirts. We believe the world governing body (ICC) will not let this happen and support Pakistan,” a PCB official told IANS.
India have been placed in Pool A alongside Pakistan for the Champions Trophy
During the 2022 Asia Cup, India and Pakistan wore jerseys featuring “Sri Lanka” on them as the tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates due to Sri Lanka's economic crisis. However, in the 2023 edition, the host nation (Pakistan) was not included on the shirts, the event was played under the hybrid model.
For the upcoming Champions Trophy, India are 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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