The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally decided to follow the guidelines of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and imprint hosts Pakistan’s name on India’s jersey for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
There were plenty of speculations over the last few days regarding India’s reluctance to print the name ‘Pakistan’ on its jersey. However, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has finally broken his silence which has brought an end to this discussion.
BCCI agrees to imprint ‘Pakistan’ in India’s jersey
The newly appointed BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia made it clear that the Indian team will follow the directives of the ICC. According to the ICC guidelines, the name ‘Pakistan’ is printed below the Champions Trophy logo.
“We will follow whatever are the ICC guidelines,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. When pointed out that the official ICC logo has Pakistan beneath it, Saikia replied by saying, “We will follow the ICC directive.”
Saikia’s comments has brought an end to the discussion that has been going on since the last few days. India had also filed an objection to the imprinting of Pakistan’s name in the official logo as they won’t be travelling to the country.
However, Pakistan remains the official hosts of the tournament despite the tournament being held in a hybrid model. While all the other teams will play their matches in Pakistan, India’s matches will be held in Dubai.
it is important for all the participating nations to follow the rules in an ICC tournament. The ICC is obligated to clear the training and playing kits of every participating team.
Why the tournament is being held in a hybrid model?
The BCCI and the PCB have been at the loggerheads with each other since the former refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan. The BCCI claimed that they didn’t get the required permission from the Indian government to send their team due to security concerns.
The PCB protested initially but had to agree later since they had no option. However, Pakistan will also play its matches in hybrid model in the tournament scheduled to be held in India in the current cycle.
As a result, India will play all its matches in Dubai. If India manages to qualify for the knockouts, they will continue to play in Dubai. The famous India-Pakistan match will be held in the same stadium on February 23.
Will Rohit Sharma travel to Pakistan?
While it is confirmed that India will have an imprint of ‘Pakistan’ in its Champions Trophy jersey, it is not yet clear whether Rohit Sharma will travel to Pakistan for the opening ceremony and the captains’ meet.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held in Karachi where the inaugural match of the tournament will be played between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand on February 19. India’s opening game will be against Bangladesh on February 20.