Putting to rest all speculations that India may not sport the name of Pakistan, who are hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Men in Blue unveiled the jersey for the prestigious tournament last night on social media.
BCCI, from its official account, posted pictures of some Indian players led by skipper Rohit Sharma, posing in the new jerseys.
An IANS report had claimed that the Indian team would not be sporting the name of the host country as is the norm in all ICC tournaments. That India were playing all their matches of the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai and not in Pakistan, added credence to the claim. The BCCI refused to allow the Indian team to travel to Pakistan because of security concerns, forcing the ICC to adopt a hybrid model for the tournament.
Also, none of the captains of the eight participating teams, including Sharma, attended the low-key opening ceremony in Lahore on February 16. It remains to be seen whether they will be present during another ceremony scheduled to be held before the tournament opener between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Bank Cricket Stadium in Karachi.
India are set to take on Pakistan in a high-voltage clash on February 23. The ICC Champions Trophy is making a comeback after eight years. The last time it happened, Pakistan had crushed India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval.
Pakistan has not hosted an ICC tournament since 1996, when it co-hosted the ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
