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The ICC Champions Trophy will be the first big-ticket event of 2025, with the tournament making its re-entry to the ICC calendar for the first time since 2017; and former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has “high hopes” from the Indian team.
After India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign in Barbados last June, this will be another chance for Rohit Sharma’s team to bag an ICC trophy. Rohit, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, quit T20Is last year.
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“Team India can (win the trophy) because if you look at the white-ball team, it is pretty much settled. To add to that, there are a couple of young gun players that can be added as well. One of them is Nitish Kumar Reddy. That will only make the team stronger. Plenty of options. Bowling will be very crucial. The hopes are very high,” Irfan said in a video posted by Star Sports on X.
India’s previous Champions Trophy campaign ended in disappointment when they lost to Pakistan in the final.
With the competition set to begin in just over a month’s time (from February 19), Irfan maintains optimism about India’s prospects of claiming the title.
The tournament will be hosted in a hybrid format, with India playing all their matches in Dubai. Pakistan is the official host nation of the tournament. The highly anticipated clash between previous edition’s finalists, India and Pakistan, is set for February 23 in Dubai.
The tournament will feature eight teams competing in 15 matches, with venues split between Pakistan (Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore) and Dubai.
India and Pakistan are in Group A along with New Zealand and Bangladesh. Group B comprises South Africa, Australia, Afghanistan and England.
The final is scheduled for March 9 in Lahore, but will shift to Dubai if India advance to the final. Both semifinals and the final have been allocated reserve days.
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