Former Indian spinner R Ashwin has joined the chorus of cricketers who have made predictions ahead of the competition.
Prior to the 2025 Champions Trophy, the Indian squad suffered an early blow when star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was injured and forced to miss the competition. Harshit Rana has been signed by the squad to replace the top pacer. He will head the pace battery alongside left-armer Arshdeep Singh and veteran Mohammed Shami.
When assessing the Indian team’s chances of winning the Champions Trophy, R Ashwin claimed that Bumrah’s absence will undoubtedly affect the team.
“I’ll rate them at 85.” If Bumrah had been present, I would have given India a 90 because, with him in the mix, India is a whole different country. The fact that all of India’s games are in Dubai is, in my opinion, their sole worry. It’s chalk and cheese between day and night at this venue, so let’s say we lose all three tosses and are sent in to bat first. Therefore, this 85 might start lowering if opponents bat in front of lights,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube account.
It is important to note that India has the most spin-heavy team in the event because to its five spinners, which include all-rounders Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja.
New Zealand received an equal rating of 85 from the former spinner. After winning the recently finished tri-series between hosts South Africa and Pakistan in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, New Zealand, who are in India’s group along with Pakistan and Bangladesh, have been playing at their best. Regarding the other two teams, Ashwin awarded Bangladesh a rating of 45 and Pakistan a rating of 55.
India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad:
Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, and Rohit Sharma (c).
Mohammed Siraj, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are non-traveling substitutes. When necessary, the three players will make the trip to Dubai.
India
