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India's top order batters must kick on and get big scores if the team are to post competitive totals in the Champions Trophy, captain Rohit Sharma said on Wednesday ahead of their tournament opener against Bangladesh.
India captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday defended picking five spinners in the Champions Trophy squad, saying three of them are all-rounders who add a lot of value to his team. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the two specialists spinners while the other options in that department are Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who all are very capable batters. The spin-heavy side has three fast-bowling options in the form of Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana with Hardik Pandya being the sole pace all-rounder.
With the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy now underway, tournament favourites India will begin their Group A campaign against Bangladesh under overcast skies at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. With just two teams each from both groups set to enter the semi-finals, every group stage game is critical for the Rohit Sharma-led side to win and strengthen their chances of winning the title they last held in 2013. India come on the back of good momentum they got in all aspects of the game while registering a 3-0 ODI series win over England at home. Bangladesh, on the other hand, come as an unfancied side, but have the arsenal in fast bowlers Nahid Rana and Taskin Ahmed to trouble the Indian batters.
A turbulent recent cricketing past has made a resonant effort mandatory for India in the Champions Trophy, and their opening match against a tricky Bangladesh here on Thursday will be the first point in assuaging a set of existential questions surrounding this team. They are vexing even for a pre-tournament favourite like India. Can this Indian bowling unit tide over the absence of injured pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah? Can Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma summon their glory days back? Can young names like Shubman Gill ace the pressure of a multi-nation competition to deliver consistently? In that context, the ICC showpiece is a godsend because ODI is the comfort zone of those icons and young tyros in this Indian line-up, and they will be genuinely eyeing a strong outing here.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill on Wednesday dethroned Babar Azam of Pakistan from the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters on the back of his strong show against England in the recent home series. The ICC issued the latest rankings just ahead of the start of the eight-team Champions Trophy in Karachi with the match between Pakistan and New Zealand. “India right-hander Shubman Gill overtakes former Pakistan captain Babar Azam to become the top ranked ODI batter in the world,” the ICC said.
Rehman Zaid is from Muscat and Fatima is from Oman. They waited for hours to catch a glimpse of India's superstar cricketers here to turn a long-cherished dream into reality. Rarely fans from such cricketing outposts get to see Indian players up close, but once they got a chance the supporters returned home with some precious memorabilia. There were fans from India, of course, but among the 200-plus supporters assembled at the ICC Cricket Academy were Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Oman, UK and USA citizens - mostly of Indian origin.
Former captain Dilip Vengsarkar has picked India, last edition's finalists, as a "strong favourite" for the Champions Trophy, which will begin on Wednesday in Karachi. After falling short against arch-rival Pakistan in 2017, India will once again begin its pursuit of the ICC Champions Trophy on Thursday against Bangladesh in Dubai. With a spin-laden attack, India will look to turn the tides in Dubai and lift the trophy for the first time since 2013. India has been a firm favourite for many former cricketers and fans. Vengsarkar, too, believes India is a strong contender to challenge for the coveted trophy.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has backed India to win the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, slated to get underway in Pakistan and Dubai on February 19. In fact, Clarke shockingly, by his own admission, feels India will beat Australia in the final of the tournament. However, Clarke hoped that Australia can somehow prove him wrong, in what would be a repeat of the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Australia, in front of packed crowd in Ahmedabad, broke Indian hearts to win their fifth ODI World Cup title.