The decision for the Indian cricket team to not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy has sparked significant debate. Ultimately, the Indian team will play its matches in the UAE.
However, despite the team’s absence, India’s captain Rohit Sharma is expected to travel to Pakistan—for the Champions Trophy itself.
This information was reported today by the Indian news agency IANS. However, a BCCI source told Times Now that a final decision has yet to be made.
The Champions Trophy, starting on February 19, will be the first ICC tournament held in Pakistan in 29 years. To mark this historic occasion, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning a grand opening ceremony.
Typically, captains from all participating teams attend the opening ceremonies of ICC events. The Champions Trophy will follow the same tradition, and Rohit Sharma’s visit to Pakistan will be for this captain’s segment of the ceremony.
A source told IANS, “The India captain is expected to attend the Champions Trophy opening ceremony. With an ICC event returning to Pakistan after 29 years, the PCB is planning extensive arrangements.”
However, when contacted by Times Now, a BCCI source clarified, “No final decision has been made about the captain traveling to Pakistan. Let the squad be announced first.”
The last ICC tournament held in Pakistan was the 1996 Cricket World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Although Pakistan was also a co-host for the 2011 World Cup, security concerns after the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore meant no matches were held in Pakistan. Until 2015, no ICC full-member nation toured Pakistan.
While the situation has improved in recent years, India’s objections in 2023 forced the Asia Cup to adopt a hybrid model, with most matches played in Sri Lanka.
India maintained the same stance for the 2025 Champions Trophy. As a result, a hybrid model has been implemented, where India and Pakistan will not play in each other’s countries during the next four ICC tournaments.
The Champions Trophy features eight teams. India, Bangladesh, and New Zealand are grouped with Pakistan, while Australia, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan form the other group.
Seven teams have already announced their squads, with India being the only exception. If Rohit Sharma does travel to Pakistan, it will mark his first visit since 2008 when he played in the Asia Cup. Since then, the Indian team has not toured Pakistan.
