In a major development ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, India captain Rohit Sharma may not participate in the pre-match 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 tournament.

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played between February 19 and March 9 in Pakistan and the UAE. Pakistan’s matches will be played in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, while India’s matches will be played in Dubai, including qualifying for the final. India and Pakistan will face off in Dubai on February 23.

BCCI confirms Rohit Sharma will not travel to Pakistan for photo shoot

The host country usually arranges a major tournament involving the captains of all participating teams. This includes photo shoots and press conferences where the captains will share their thoughts on the upcoming games. For the Champions Trophy, all eight captains including Rohit Sharma are expected to participate in the event.

According to a report in The Times of India, the BCCI revealed that the board has asked the ICC to move these events scheduled to be held before the tournament from Pakistan to Dubai.

“The ICC has accommodated India’s request and will no longer schedule the CT match in Pakistan, so these are minor issues,” sources told TOI on Tuesday.

Rohit Sharma-led India doesn’t want Pakistan’s name on jersey

The BCCI has also instructed its players not to wear jerseys with Pakistan’s name on them. The PCB is unhappy with the BCCI’s actions and is seeking the intervention of the ICC. Expressing concern, a PCB official accused the BCCI of bringing politics into cricket, adding that the ICC would not allow it.

“The BCCI is bringing politics into cricket, which is not good for the sport at all. They are refusing to go 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 host country (Pakistan) to )’s name is printed on their jersey and we are confident that the world governing body (ICC) will not let this happen and support Pakistan,” a PCB official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

India and Pakistan compete in Group A for the championship trophy

During the 2022 Asian Cup, due to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, the tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates, and both India and Pakistan wore jerseys with “Sri Lanka” printed on them. However, in the 2023 edition, the host country (Pakistan) does not feature on the jersey as the tournament is being played in a hybrid format.

For the upcoming Champions Trophy, India has been placed in Group A along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. India will play a match against Bangladesh on February 20. India were runners-up in the 2017 Champions Trophy but lost to Pakistan in the final by 180 runs.

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