A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official has raised concerns about the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) alleged decision not to send India captain Rohit Sharma to Pakistan for the opening ceremony of the 2025 Champions Trophy, scheduled to begin on February 19. Rohit was expected to participate in the captains’ photo shoot and the pre-event press conference in Pakistan.
India will play all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, including the high-profile clash against Pakistan on February 23. The BCCI has neither confirmed nor denied Rohit’s travel to Pakistan. Additionally, the PCB official expressed disappointment over reports that the Indian team might not wear jerseys featuring the host nation’s name.
“BCCI is bringing politics into cricket, which is not at all good for the game. They 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 host nation’s (Pakistan) name printed on their jersey. We believe that the world governing body (ICC) will not let this happen and support Pakistan,” a PCB official, speaking anonymously, told IANS.
On Saturday, India announced their 15-member squad for the tournament, naming Shubman Gill as Rohit’s deputy. The squad includes Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
In the previous ICC Champions Trophy, India reached the final but lost to Pakistan. India will begin their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20 and conclude the group stage against New Zealand on March 2.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
