India captain Rohit Sharma is all set to visit Pakistan before the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. The development comes despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming that India will not travel to Pakistan for its matches.
It is believed that Rohit Sharma will travel to Pakistan to take part in the opening ceremony of the Champions Trophy where all the captains of the participating nations will be present.
Also read: Gautam Gambhir’s coaching staff blames IPL for Team India’s downfall at BCCI meeting
Rohit Sharma to visit Pakistan before Champions Trophy
According to IANS, the Pakistan Cricket Board is planning to host a grand tournament to mark the comeback of an ICC tournament in Pakistan after a long gap of 29 years. The last time Pakistan hosted an ICC tournament was during the 1996 ODI World Cup where they jointly hosted with India and Sri Lanka.
All the captains of the participating nations, along with India’s Rohit Sharma, will be present in the opening ceremony as it is the standard practice in all the ICC events. It will be a big moment as an Indian cricket captain will visit Pakistan for the first time since 2008.
“Indian Team captain (Rohit Sharma) will visit Pakistan to attend the opening ceremony of the Champions Trophy as PCB plans a grand event, marking the return of a mega international cricket event to Pakistan after 29 years,” the source was quoted as saying by IANS.
While the Indian squad is yet to be announced, Rohit Sharma is all set to be appointed the team’s captain for the marquee tournament. Rohit Sharma’s recent form has been a point of concern and he will be under pressure right from the start.
Dubai to host India’s matches
India won’t travel to Pakistan to play the Champions Trophy despite the latter being announced as the hosts by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The BCCI confirmed that they have not received the required permission from the Indian government to send their team to Pakistan.
Due to India’s reluctance, Dubai was picked as the venue of the hybrid model where India will play all its matches of the tournament. Dubai will continue to host India’s matches in the knockout stage as well if they manage to qualify that far.
The tournament will begin on February 19 when the hosts Pakistan will take in New Zealand in Karachi. The highly anticipated India-Pakistan match will be held on February 23 in Dubai. The final of the Champions Trophy will be played on March 9.
When did India last travel to Pakistan?
India last played in Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup. Since then, the team has not travelled to the country citing poor political relations between the two of them. The last bilateral series between the two nations was played in 2013 when Pakistan traveled to India for a T20I and an ODI series.
However, Pakistan have constantly traveled to India for ICC tournaments despite India’s reluctance over the years. But the ICC has announced that the same hybrid model will apply for the events held in India and Pakistan won’t be obliged to travel to their neighboring country.