The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is hopeful that India captain Rohit Sharma will attend the Champions Trophy opening ceremony, which is scheduled for February 16 or 17. The PCB source added that it is awaiting word from the ICC regarding the pre-event press conference and the time for the traditional captains' picture shoot. On February 19, the eight-team competition will begin in Karachi. However, due to security concerns, India has refused to travel to Pakistan and will instead play all of their matches in Dubai, beginning with the encounter against Bangladesh on February 20.
PCB wants Rohit to attend opening ceremony
According to the PTI source, PCB has obtained the necessary approvals from its government to quickly provide visas to all team officials, players, and captains who will travel here for pre-tournament activities.
"This includes Rohit or any other Indian team player or official or board official," the source told PTI.
Opening ceremony in Pakistan
The PCB has informed the ICC that the opening ceremony, which would include all teams and their captains, will be place in Pakistan, according to a second source who spoke to PTI.
"This is in line with the usual protocols and since the opening match is on January 19, the opening ceremony can be expected either on the 16 or 17," the source added.
He stated that the list of warm-up matches would determine the opening ceremony's schedule. According to the source, three Indian nationals who were a part of the ICC delegation that visited Pakistan recently received their visas right away after the international organization forwarded their names to the PCB.