Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar declared Pakistan as the favorites to win the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, citing the significant advantage of playing on home soil.
With the prestigious tournament set to take place from February 19, 2025 and hosted by both Pakistan and the UAE, Gavaskar believes that the home advantage will prove pivotal for Pakistan.
Speaking during an interview, the former legend emphasized the difficulty of defeating any team in their home conditions, noting that this will be a crucial factor for Pakistan in the upcoming edition.
“The tag of favorites should be given to the home team, Pakistan, as it’s not easy to beat any team in their home conditions,” said Gavaskar.
"India lost in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023, but before that, they put up clinical performances and won ten matches on the trot,” he added.
The eight-team tournament, comprised of 15 matches, will run from February 19 to March 9, across three venues – Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi – in Pakistan and Dubai.
The eight teams are divided into two groups. Group A features Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh, while Group B is comprised of Afghanistan, South Africa, England and Australia.
Hosts Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the curtain raiser on February 19 in Karachi, while the blockbuster clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India is scheduled for February 23 in Dubai.
For the unversed, apart from the hosts, Pakistan, all seven participating teams have announced their squads for the upcoming event, with India being the latest to do so today.
Champions Trophy Schedule:
*All matches will be day-night encounters
Comments