MUMBAI: India will adhere to the dress code set by the International Cricket Council (ICC) during the upcoming Champions Trophy, the country’s cricket board’s secretary Devajit Saikia said on Wednesday, rejecting speculations that the body had objected to host Pakistan’s name on the side’s official jersey.
The Champions Trophy will be held from February 19 to March 9 and India will play its matches in Dubai after citing security concerns as the reason for refusing to travel to Pakistan.
“BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) will follow every uniform-related ICC rule during Champions Trophy,” Saikia was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.
“Whatever the other teams will do regarding the logo and dress code, we are going to follow in true letter and spirit,” he added.
However, Saikia said that whether India captain Rohit Sharma participates in the ICC’s pre-tournament engagements, including a press conference and an official photo shoot in Lahore, is something that is still being discussed.
“Whether Rohit Sharma travels to Pakistan for ICC media engagements is something that’s still not decided,” Saikia added.
There were some unconfirmed media reports that the BCCI had objected to the host nation’s name being embossed on their jersey, which is an established practice for all ICC events, owing to the tense political ties between the two countries.
It is understood that there was never any doubt about following the logo guidelines and the BCCI did not raise concerns with the global body.
When Pakistan came to India in 2023 for the 50-over ICC World Cup, Babar Azam and his men duly sported the host country’s name on their jerseys as part of the tournament protocol.
The Champions Trophy is being conducted under a “Hybrid Model” for the first time as BCCI didn’t get permission from the Indian government to travel to Pakistan.
India will play all their matches, including the marquee league match against the arch-rivals from across the border, in Dubai.
In case the Indian team reaches the semi-final and subsequently final, the two matches will be played in Dubai as well.
As far as Sharma visiting Pakistan is concerned, the matter is still under consideration and there are certain issues that the BCCI needs to consider if its captain visits Pakistan for a customary photo-shoot and pre-event press conference.
Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2025