New Delhi, January 22: There is no clarity on whether India captain Rohit Sharma will travel to Pakistan for the ICC’s official captains’ call to mark the start of the 2025 Champions Trophy, according to ESPNcricinfo.
The upcoming ninth edition of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy is scheduled to take place in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates from February 19 to March 9.
The captains’ event, which typically occurs before the tournament, is tentatively planned for February 16 or 17 in Karachi. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet received an official communication on the matter from the International Cricket Council (ICC), ESPNcricinfo reported.
“It [Rohit travelling to Pakistan] has not yet been discussed. It is not on the agenda yet,” Devjit Saikia, the BCCI’s newly-appointed secretary, told ESPNcricinfo.
Due to strained political relations between the two countries, India has not toured Pakistan since 2008, when they participated in the Asia Cup.
The two arch-rivals last played a bilateral series in India during the 2012-13 season, which featured white-ball matches. Since then, India and Pakistan have mostly faced each other in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups. Notably, Pakistan traveled to India for the 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
In an official capacity, no Indian player has visited Pakistan in recent years. However, BCCI officials have traveled to Pakistan.
In 2023, BCCI president Roger Binny and vice-president Rajiv Shukla attended an official PCB dinner in Lahore during the Asia Cup. The invitation was extended by then PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf.
In a separate development, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that the board would comply with all jersey guidelines for the ICC Champions Trophy.
This clarification follows reports suggesting that the BCCI might exclude the tournament host, Pakistan’s name, from their jerseys, as India will play all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai.–(ANI)
