Previously, there was already an air of uncertainty about Rohit travelling to the neighbouring nation, given the troubled bilateral political relations.
After much anticipation, it has now been understood that India skipper Rohit Sharma will not travel to Pakistan for the opening ceremony and the captains’ photoshoot for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
The decision comes after the apex cricket council (ICC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) cancelled both events.
A source privy to the development was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz, “An opening ceremony was never announced either by the ICC or the PCB”.
Previously, there was already an air of uncertainty about Rohit travelling to the neighbouring nation, given the troubled bilateral political relations between India and Pakistan which also forced the organisers to shift India’s matches to Dubai.
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The organizers have stated that hosting an opening ceremony or an official gathering of captains is not feasible due to the different timelines for teams’ arrivals in Pakistan. The England squad, currently in India, is set to arrive in Lahore on February 18, nearly a week after playing their final ODI in Ahmedabad on February 12. It is understood that the team will be taking a short break following their white-ball series against India.
Meanwhile, Australia is scheduled to land in Pakistan on February 19, five days after concluding their two-Test series in Sri Lanka on February 14. Both England and Australia, who are in the same group, are set to face each other in Lahore on February 22.
To further support the decision to not host any pre-tournament ceremony or event, the organisers cited that the last opening ceremony with all the participating players taking part was held back in Dhaka in 2011 and since then it’s not been followed.
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