New Delhi, January 21 (UITV)- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that India captain Rohit Sharma will not be sent to Pakistan for the opening ceremony and captain photoshoot of the Champions Trophy 2025. A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official has expressed concern over this decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The tournament is scheduled to start from February 19 and the Indian captain was expected to participate in the captains’ photoshoot and pre-event press conference to be held in Pakistan.
However, the BCCI has not yet issued any official statement on the issue, nor has it confirmed whether Rohit Sharma will go to Pakistan or not. Meanwhile, the PCB official expressed displeasure over the decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, saying that this decision is not right for the game. The PCB official told IANS on the condition of anonymity that BCCI is bringing politics into cricket, which is not right for the game at all. First they refused to visit Pakistan, then now there is talk of not sending the captain to the opening ceremony and now there are reports that they do not want the name of the host country (Pakistan) on their jersey. We hope that the International Cricket Council (ICC) will not let this happen and will support Pakistan in this matter.
This dispute between BCCI and PCB has brought the politics of cricket back into discussion. PCB says that such a move spoils the atmosphere of the game, while BCCI considers this decision right from the point of view of Indian players and their security interests. In view of India’s match against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, a deep political and sports-related situation remains between the two countries.
India has announced its 15-member team for the Champions Trophy 2025, in which Rohit Sharma has been made the captain and Shubman Gill the vice-captain. The team also includes prominent players like Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav. India’s key players are present in this team, which is further increasing India’s hopes of victory in the tournament.
India had reached the final in the last Champions Trophy, but lost to Pakistan. This time, India will play its first match against Bangladesh on 20 February in Dubai. After this, there will be a match against Pakistan on 23 February, which is considered an important match. India’s last match of the group stage will be against New Zealand on 2 March.
It has become clear from this entire incident that cricket is not just a game, but it has become a part of diplomatic and political issues between the two countries. Regarding the BCCI’s decision, the PCB alleges that the Board of Control for Cricket in India is adopting a discriminatory attitude against Pakistan. On the other hand, the BCCI gives priority to the safety of its team players and considers this decision appropriate in view of the political situation.
There is a possibility of further discussion on this matter in the coming days, especially if the ICC or both cricket boards intervene in it. There is no clear way to resolve this issue so far and it will be interesting to see how the two boards eventually resolve this dispute and whether this dispute will also impact the 2025 Champions Trophy.
