Rohit Sharma to captain India in Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy

Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma holds the trophy as he greets fans during an open bus roadshow in Mumbai on July 4, 2024, after winning the ICC men's Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados. (AFP/File)
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Updated 08 July 2024
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Rohit Sharma to captain India in Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy

  • Sharma, 37, helped India to their second T20 title last month after beating South Africa in final
  • ODI Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in February and March 2025 in Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma will stay on as captain of India’s Test and one-day teams, the country’s cricket board said, after he ended his T20 international career with a World Cup triumph.

Senior batsman Rohit led India to the T20 title last month, ending the cricket-mad nation’s global trophy drought since the 2013 Champions Trophy.

Rohit, 37, Virat Kohli, 35, and Ravindra Jadeja, 35, announced their T20 exit after the win over South Africa in the final in Barbados.

It was also the last match for outgoing coach Rahul Dravid.

“After this victory, the next stage is the 2025 WTC (World Test Championship) final and the Champions Trophy,” Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said in a video message.

“I am truly confident that we will win both the tournaments under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.”

Shah praised the trio of veteran players, as well as Dravid.

“This was our third final in the last one year,” Shah said, referring to the ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship.

The ODI Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in February and March 2025 in Pakistan, a nation which India has refused to tour in recent times due to political tensions.

The World Test Championship cycle will end in June 2025 with the final at Lord’s in London.

India have twice finished runners-up in the Test championship, losing the final to Australia last year.

Rohit’s India also lost the ODI final to Australia at home in 2023.

Rohit took over the captaincy of the white-ball team in 2021 and became the all-format leader a year later.


Pakistan leaders wish Saudi King Salman well after hospital admission for tests

Updated 16 January 2026
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Pakistan leaders wish Saudi King Salman well after hospital admission for tests

  • Pakistani PM and President express concern, pray for the King's swift recovery
  • The official Saudi media has not shared the nature of the King’s visit to the hospital

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister and president on Friday expressed concern over the health of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz, offering prayers and well wishes after state media said he had been admitted to hospital in Riyadh for medical examinations.

The Saudi Press Agency reported the King was undergoing medical tests at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, with no further information regarding the nature of the visit or his medical condition.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistanis held the Saudi King in high regard and were praying for his recovery.

“Deeply concerned by the news that Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is admitted in hospital for medical tests,” he said. “The people of Pakistan hold His Majesty in the highest esteem. We join our Saudi brothers and sisters in praying for His Majesty’s swift and complete recovery.”

President Asif Ali Zardari also conveyed his wishes, saying the entire Pakistani nation was praying for the Saudi King’s health and well-being, according to a statement issued by the presidency.

Pakistan has longstanding diplomatic and institutional ties with Saudi Arabia, and its leadership has consistently expressed deep respect for the Saudi royal family, particularly in view of the Kingdom’s religious significance and its role in the Muslim world.