Photo Credit: Instagram Photo of @rohitsharma45
India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, is set to visit Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, despite ongoing tensions between the two countries. Pakistan will host the tournament in a Hybrid model, with India playing their matches in the UAE. According to IANS, Rohit Sharma will cross the border to participate in the opening ceremony.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning a grand opening ceremony, which is tentatively scheduled for February 16 or 17. As per standard ICC practices, all team captains will be present. The last time the Indian team visited Pakistan was in 2008 for the Asia Cup final, where they lost by 100 runs to Sri Lanka. India also faced defeat by 8 wickets against Pakistan in the Super Four stage of the same tournament.
The ICC Champions Trophy will return after an eight-year hiatus, with Pakistan hosting the event for the first time since the 1996 World Cup. The tournament will feature eight teams, split into two groups. India and Pakistan, along with Bangladesh and New Zealand, are in Group A, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.
Pakistan enters the tournament as the defending champions, having defeated India in the 2017 final. Pakistan will play all their matches on home ground, while India will compete in Dubai after the BCCI was unable to secure clearance from the Indian government for travel to Pakistan, due to ongoing political tensions.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
