Ravichandran Ashwin excludes Pakistan from his choice of semifinalists for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

the first match, the great Ravichandran Ashwin picked his four semifinalists for the main event. When reigning champions Pakistan play New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19, the ninth Champions Trophy will get underway.

There will be two groups of four teams each in the eight-team competition. Group A includes Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Zealand, and India. Australia, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa make up Group B. Each group’s top two teams advance to the semifinals.

Ashwin eliminated Pakistan and Bangladesh from Group A and chose India and New Zealand to advance to the knockout stages. The recently retired cricket player supported England and Australia, two Ashes rivals, to advance to the semifinals in Group B.

Additionally, Ravichandran Ashwin evaluated the strength and balance of each of the eight participating teams. India and New Zealand each received the highest marks, 85 out of 100. Australia and England, with scores of 78 and 81, respectively, finished third and fourth. Remarkably, with a score of 70, the 38-year-old maintained Afghanistan at No. 5. Only 68, 55, and 40 points were obtained by South Africa, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, respectively.

Semifinal selections by Ravichandran Ashwin:

If Bumrah had been present, I would have given India a 90: If Jasprit Bumrah had been allowed to participate in the competition, Ashwin stated he would have given India a score of 90 out of 100. Due to a back issue, the star pacer will not be participating in the tournament.

“I’ll give them an 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. Thus, this 85 might start lowering if opponents bat in front of lights,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube account.