The Indian squad has been preparing for the 2025 Champions Trophy, and on Thursday, February 20, they will play Bangladesh.
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai will host the match. It is noteworthy that India has advanced to the ICC event finals an astounding five times in the last eight years. But they have only triumphed once, against South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup final.
The absence of gas while pursuing the objectives has been a conspicuous feature of India’s shortcomings. The Men in Blue have notably chased in 14 ICC event knockout games. Their victory percentage is at 50% after they have won six games and lost as many. In order to address this issue that has plagued the squad for years, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina said, “It’s important to put runs on the board in a big final.”
“In the 2015 World Cup match against Australia, we were unable to chase. In the 2017 ICC Men’s Champions Trophy final, we were unable to chase the total. In 2019, we attempted chasing but were unsuccessful. In the Champions Trophy final in 2013, we didn’t have to chase. Therefore, scoring runs in a crucial final is crucial. We make errors occasionally, but we grow from them. Suresh Raina told JioHotstar, “I don’t think we’ll make those mistakes in 2025.”
Pakistan shocked India by winning the Champions Trophy in 2017.
Speaking of the Champions Trophy 2017, Team India played their bitter rivals, Pakistan, in the tournament’s final. They chose to field first after winning the toss, and the Green Shirts responded admirably with a commanding 338-run total.
The Pakistani pacers easily contained the Men in Blue when they were pursuing, and they quickly lost the top order. As a result, Pakistan won the match by a significant 180-run margin and won the ICC championship.