Rohit Sharma’s Pakistan Trip Called Off as Champions Trophy Ditches Opening Ceremony 

February 19 marks the start of the ICC Champions Trophy, a tournament India has high hopes for. The opening ceremony, which included a photo session of the team captains, was expected to occur before the event. It was to be held in Karachi, and it was unclear whether Indian captain Rohit Sharma would be traveling there. Now, the matter has been put to rest.

‘The Photo Shoot has not been Officially Announced’ 

The upcoming CT 2025 was initially supposed to be held only in Pakistan. However, due to strained relations, India did not want to play in that country, so the team’s matches will be held in Dubai. On the other hand, the captains’ photo session was an event where Rohit Sharma’s presence would have been highly desirable. But, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council have canceled the photo shoot. According to a source familiar with the situation, the PCB and the ICC have not officially announced that the photo shoot will occur. He also recalled that such a ceremony was last held in Dhaka in 2011.  

Had Rohit Sharma not been obliged to go to Karachi, he could have become the first Indian player to set foot on Pakistani soil since 2008.  

Another Reason for Cancellation – Team Arrival Schedule 

The organizers said that an official team captains’ meeting is impossible because the squads will arrive in Pakistan on different dates. For example, England is currently playing T20I matches in India (and then the teams will play three more ODI matches) and arrive in Lahore on February 18. Another example is Australia, which will come to Pakistan on February 19, five days after the Test matches against Sri Lanka. So, there is no expediency in holding a captains’ photo session.