Why Rohit Sharma likely to visit Pakistan ahead of Champions Trophy 2025? Reason explained
Despite India playing all their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai, captain Rohit Sharma still has to travel to Pakistan.
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma is reportedly set to travel to Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 despite the simmering historical tennis between two neighbouring countries. The 50-tournament is scheduled to take place from February 19 to March 9, with Pakistan as the official host of the marquee event.
However, the Champions Trophy will take place in a hybrid model, with Dubai being chosen as the host city for India’s matches during the meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The BCCI was adamant in its refusal to send the Indian team to Pakistan due to security reasons. The agreement came after Pakistan’s demand for a hybrid for the 2026 World Cup was accepted by India, the host of the tournament.
Despite India playing all their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai, captain Rohit Sharma still has to travel to Pakistan. Ahead of the marquee event, there will be a photoshoot of the captains with the trophy in Pakistan, original host of the tournament. Therefore, Rohit Sharma’s presence is mandatory as part of the pre-tournament promotional activities, maintaining equal representation of all participating nations. Ahead of every ICC tournament, there will be promotional activities and the presence of captions is necessary to officially kick off the tournament.
As per the report by Press Trust of India, Pakistan Cricket Board is awaiting confirmation from ICC with regards to photoshooting with trophy and press conference ahead of the Champions Trophy. The source said that PCB received clearances from its government to immediately issue visas to captains, players and board officials of the participating nations for the pre-tournament activities. However, the BCCI is yet to confirm whether they will be sending Rohit Sharma to Pakistan for the photoshoot and press conference before playing the opening match against Bangladesh on February 23 in Dubai.
Rohit Sharma’s form under scrutiny
Rohit Sharma’s form is currently under heavy scrutiny following his disastrous performance in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In six innings of the five-match Test series against Australia, India captain scored just 31 runs at an average of 6.2 overs. Sharma’s decision to stand down for the Sydney Test sparked speculation about his retirement. However, he denied the rumours.
Rohit Sharma’s poor form was discussed in the BCCI review meeting and the officials warned him to worry about his place in the team. The selectors had directed the second round of Ranji Trophy, slated to take place on January 23. The stalwart of Indian cricket began his training with Mumbai’s Ranji team and played a practice at the Wankhede Stadium.
As per the recent reports, Rohit Sharma is likely to retire from international cricket after the Champions Trophy as he is unlikely to be picked for the Test tour of England. The right-handed batter’s form will be closely monitored by the selection committee during the ODI series against England and Champions Trophy 2025.