Rohit Sharma not required in Pakistan as ICC opts for no captains’ photoshoot

Not always the case when it comes to ICC tournaments, but the upcoming Champions Trophy will see some new changes. Not long ago, news came that India captain Rohit Sharma would travel to Pakistan for a captain’s photoshoot for the upcoming CT 2025. However, now it’s all clear that the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board have confirmed the cancellation of the traditional opening ceremony and the captains’ photo-op, which, as mentioned, typically precedes major ICC events.

This decision mostly came due to scheduling conflicts among participating teams. Looking deeper into this, India will play three ODI games against England starting from February 6, where Rohit Sharma will be captaining the team, showing how difficult it is for him to plan a trip to Pakistan. Considering all this, the captain’s photoshoot has been cancelled.

Warm-up games unlikely for Indian team

Along with this development, there were some reports about warm-up games for India before the group stages of the Champions Trophy. But now it looks like they will not play any warm-up matches before CT 2025 and will start their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20.

Lahore to host PCB’s upcoming event

Certainly, there will be no opening ceremony or photoshoot, but the PCB has planned an event in Lahore on February 16 to celebrate Pakistan’s hosting of the tournament. Not to forget, Pakistan is hosting the ICC tournament after a long 28 years, having last co-hosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup along with India and Sri Lanka.