As Pakistan prepares to host the Champions Trophy cricket tournament fan excitement is building. Eight teams are participating but India's flag was not seen atop the National Stadium in Karachi alongside other nations' flags. A video of this surfaced on social media Sunday.
Karachi’s National Stadium is set to host teams including New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, England, and Pakistan. However, India’s absence from the venue has intensified discussions over the missing flag. The PCB has not issued an official statement on the matter.
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The likely reason for the omission is India's decision to play all its group-stage matches in Dubai. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send the team to Pakistan, leading to an agreement between the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the BCCI to adopt a hybrid model for the tournament. Under this arrangement, India’s games will be played in Dubai, while other teams will compete in Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan is expected to play at a neutral venue when an ICC event takes place in India.
Pakistan enters the tournament as defending champion. It won its first title in 2017 defeating India in the final in London. Led by Sarfaraz Ahmed Pakistan scored 338 with Fakhar Zaman scoring a century. Strong bowling from Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali prevented India from reaching the target.
Meanwhile, India enters the tournament in strong form after a dominant 3-0 series win against England. Skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer delivered solid performances with the bat. The bowling unit also impressed, though India will be without ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who failed to recover in time for the tournament.
The team will now aim to go one step further in their quest for the title.
