BCCI indirectly reveals Team India's captain for Champions Trophy 2025 and ODI series against England even before the announcement

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has indirectly confirmed that Rohit Sharma will lead India in the Champions Trophy 2025 and ODI series against England. This announcement will be officially made at a press conference scheduled for January 18, where the squads for the upcoming Champions Trophy and the ODI series against England will be revealed.

Rohit Sharma to captain India in Champions Trophy

Notably, Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar turn up for the press conference where India's Champions Trophy and ODI squad for England series will be announced. Rohit's presence in the presser itself means he will be India's captain in both the outing. Notably, India and Pakistan are the only two teams who are yet to announce their respective squads for the Champions Trophy 2025 which is set to start from February 19.

The three-match ODI series against England will serve as India's final ODI fixtures before they head for Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.

Rohit Sharma's future as ODI captain had come under scrutiny after he opted out of the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this month. However, he clarified that this decision should not be interpreted as his retirement from international cricket.

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Rohit Sharma's lean patch

The 37-year-old has been facing challenges with both his form and captaincy. During the home series against New Zealand, he admitted making errors in his captaincy, which ultimately contributed to India's 3-0 whitewash. His personal form has also been a concern. In six Test innings against New Zealand at home, he managed only 91 runs at a dismal average of 15.16. His struggles continued in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where his average plummeted further to 6.20 in five innings as he could only muster 31 runs.

In an effort to regain his form, Rohit has been training with the Mumbai squad in preparation for the second phase of the Ranji Trophy.

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Having recently retired from T20I cricket after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup in Barbados last year, Rohit now has the opportunity to guide India to another title at the Champions Trophy.

India will start their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh on February 19 in Dubai which will be followed by a high-octane clash against their arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23. They will then lock horns with New Zealand on March 2.

It has also been learnt that Rohit Sharma won't be travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy's captains' photoshoot. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is gearing up to host the opening ceremony for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The ceremony is tentatively planned for February 16 or 17.

According to ICC regulations, the presence of all participating team captains is mandatory at the opening ceremony. Earlier, reports were doing rounds that skipper Rohit will be traveling to Pakistan for the captains' photoshoot and for the opening ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. However it's all clear now the Hitman won't travel to Pakistan any which way.