Kolkata : India in ICC Champions Trophy, a match made in heaven. Whenever, the Men in Blue are out into the field for this event, despite whatever form they’re in, they began to shine with legacy.
Peep into history of India’s love affair with Champions Trophy
Almost every edition, generation, the Men in Blue has shown immense dominance in Champions Trophy, winning the event twice – 2002 (joint winners with Sri Lanka) & 2013 , defeating England in final.
Talk about the first 2 (1998, 2000) seasons – they ended up as semi finalists and runner ups. After winning 2002 under Sourav Ganguly with his iconic team, India faced a sluggish patch during 2004-2009 season, as they faced group stage exits, but they roared back under MS Dhoni in 2013, winning the title for 2nd time. In 2017, they played heroically but lost to Pakistan in the final.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025
India, came into this season from background of losing BGT 3-1, and whitewashing England 3-0 in ODI at home. Before the Champions Trophy, they lost their ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, as he was ruled out with injury. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s current forms were under hammer.
They’re placed in Group A comprising likes of New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh. But they shattered all criticisms in beginning of tournament.
India started their campaign with 60 runs win over Bangladesh in the opening match despite all odds. Shubman Gill smashed his ton and Md Shami, coming back into the side picked 5-fer.
The 2nd match that they won was defeating arch rivals Pakistan by 6 wickets. Virat Kohli outclassed the Pakistani bowling smashing his 51st ODI ton and guaranteeing the 2nd consecutive win, almost confirming semi final berth.
Where do India stand now?
India, are now, sitting at top of the Group A, winning 2 out of 2 matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan with healthy run rate of 0.64 and one match to go against New Zealand on March 2, 2025.
The Men in Blue are now unofficially qualified for semi finals in this Champions Trophy, an affair that they’re habituated with.
The concerns for bowling still remains as India have failed to pick wickets in middle overs. However, they’ve slowed down opponents and picked wickets by the end of innings. As for Batting, the whole top and middle order are now in form and that’s a sigh of relief for the Men in Blue.
Rohit Sharma’s army, have almost booked slot for semi final on March 4 at the same venue of Dubai, that they’re by now habituated playing in, an added advantage. And if they win semi final, they’ll play final at same venue. They’ll face the 2nd position team from Group B – Australia/England/South Africa/Afghanistan.
India with in form batters and added advantage in Dubai Pitch are prime contenders of winning the Champions Trophy for 3rd time.
