Champions Trophy 2025: Still unclear if Rohit Sharma will travel to Pakistan for captains event


There is no clear answer on whether India captain Rohit Sharma will travel to Pakistan for the official ICC captains call to receive the Champions Trophy 2025. The captains event, which as per practice is held at the host country, is tentatively scheduled for February 16 or 17 in Karachi, but the BCCI is yet to receive any official communication from the ICC.

“He [Rohit travelling to Pakistan] It hasn’t been discussed yet. “It’s not on the agenda yet,” Devajit Saikia, the newly appointed BCCI secretary, told Pak Gazette.

It could not be confirmed whether the BCCI would need permission from the Indian government for Rohit to travel to Pakistan.

Due to the climate of political tension between the two countries, India and Pakistan have not played bilateral series since 2012, but continue to face each other in ICC tournaments. While Pakistan traveled to India for ICC tournaments during this period, India have not played any international cricket in Pakistan since 2008.

Since the BCCI insisted that India would not travel to Pakistan for its matches, the ICC, in coordination with the PCB, the hosts of the tournament, decided on a hybrid model for ICC events until 2027, with Dubai named as host of the Indian Champions Trophy. games.
While there is no recent precedent of an Indian player visiting Pakistan in an official capacity, there is one involving BCCI officials. In 2023, Roger Binny and Rajeev Shukla, president and vice-president of the BCCI, traveled to Lahore for an official PCB dinner during the Asia Cup, after being invited by then PCB president Zaka Ashraf.

It is understood that the PCB has asked the ICC to ensure that as per standard practice, all teams and captains are available for the Champions Trophy photo session, opening ceremony and other pre-tournament engagements. It is understood that the ICC is still finalizing logistics and travel dates for the teams.

Incidentally, the ICC did not organize a captains’ event before the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, which was co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States. With teams playing warm-up matches in several countries, the ICC opted to make the official launch through a lighting projection show that showed the 20 captains beaming towards the Rockefeller Center building in New York City. It is understood that, as in the 2024 T20 World Cup, teams will have the option of playing up to two warm-up matches each depending on their arrival time at the Champions Trophy.

Saikia: ‘BCCI will follow all ICC rules related to uniforms’

Meanwhile, Saikia has clarified that India will adhere to the dress code set by the ICC for the Champions Trophy, responding to media speculation that the BCCI had objected to the host nation’s name on its jersey. Players’ jerseys during ICC events usually include the tournament logo with the tournament name, host country and year underneath.

“The BCCI will follow all ICC rules related to uniform during the Champions Trophy,” Saikia said. PTI. “Regardless of what the other teams do regarding the logo and the dress code, we will faithfully follow it in letter and spirit.”

With additional reporting by Osman Samiuddin

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