India’s decision not to participate in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan had already stirred up significant controversy. Ultimately, India secured a victory, with the final decision being that India will play all its matches in the UAE, despite Pakistan being the host for the hybrid model of the tournament.
Now, another issue has emerged, and it is India again at the center of it. According to Indian media reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to allow Pakistan’s name to be written on the jerseys of the Indian team for the Champions Trophy. This has angered Pakistan.
In international tournaments, all teams’ jerseys feature the name and year of the host country below the tournament’s logo. Even if the tournament is moved to another country, the host nation’s name remains on the jerseys. For example, when the 2021 T20 World Cup was moved from India to the UAE, all teams wore jerseys with “India 2021” printed. Similarly, while India is playing its matches in the UAE this time, Pakistan remains the official host.
After news broke of India’s objection to having “Pakistan” written on their jerseys, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) accused India of mixing politics with cricket. A PCB official, speaking to the Indian news agency IANS on condition of anonymity, expressed strong discontent with India’s behavior.
The official was quoted as saying, “BCCI has brought politics into cricket. This is not good for the game. They refused to tour Pakistan. They don’t want to send their captain to the opening ceremony. And now, they refuse to have the host country’s name on their jerseys. We believe the ICC will not allow this and will stand by Pakistan.”
