India jersey for ICC Champions Trophy 2025 goes live, ‘Pakistan’ imprint stands out

Champions Trophy 2025 is just around the corner and the marquee tournament will kick off on 19 February 2025. Ahead of the first major ICC event of the year, BCCI shared images from the official photo shoot for the event, where prominent Indian players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma donned the revamped Indian jersey for the Champions Trophy. The new jersey is remarkably similar to the one worn during the recently concluded England series, except for the Champions Trophy branding and hosts Pakistan's name on the right-hand side.

Notably, some reports had previously suggested that India might not have hosts Pakistan's name on their jersey, but that hasn't turned out to be the case. Newly-appointed BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had also recently confirmed that India would follow the ICC's uniform-related rules for the Champions Trophy.

"BCCI will follow every uniform-related ICC rule during Champions Trophy," Saikia told PTI.

ICC rules on clothing code:

Under ICC rules, all participating teams are required to wear the host nation's name on their jerseys, even when matches are played at neutral venues. Had India refused to comply, it could have been considered a breach of the governing body's dress code.

Notably, the BCCI and hosts Pakistan have been at loggerheads since the very outset, with the Men in Blue refusing to travel to their neighbouring country. As India did not travel for the Champions Trophy, the tournament had to be held in a hybrid format, with India's matches later being played in Dubai.

The latest flashpoint in BCCI-PCB relations came after many reports suggested that India captain Rohit Sharma would not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy captain's meeting. However, it was later decided that no official photo shoot or captain's meeting would be held ahead of the marquee tournament, with the PCB citing "logistical" issues for the decision.

Notably, this is the first ICC event to be held in Pakistan since the 1996 ODI World Cup. Pakistan had won the last Champions Trophy in 2017 and India are the current T20 world champions, so the stakes are high for both teams.