 "India will play its first match against Bangladesh on 20 February. Image: X/PCB")
Former Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri and Australian great Ricky Ponting have shared their predictions for the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be held in Pakistan and the UAE from 19 February onward. Both Shastri and Ponting have backed India and Australia to reach the finals of the eight-team tournament.
Ponting and Shastri’s big prediction
Speaking to The ICC Review, Ravi Shastri said that India and Australia will compete in the final, citing their recent success in mega tournaments. Shastri also mentioned the quality of players that both teams possess at the moment. The 62-year-old further picked South Africa and England as the other semi-finalists.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting reiterated Shastri’s opinion, saying that it is always difficult to see past India and Australia when it comes to a big tournament. Ponting also highlighted the star-studded lineup of both teams to emphasize his comment.
“It’s hard to go past India and Australia again. Just think about the quality of players in both countries right now, and you look back in recent history when these big finals and big ICC events have come around and inevitably Australia and India are there somewhere,” Ponting said.
India and Australia are the two most successful teams in the history of the Champions Trophy. Both teams have won the title twice with India winning in 2002 and 2013, and Australia in 2006 and 2009.
These cricketing giants also faced off in the ICC World Test Championship and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023, with Australia coming out on top in both competitions. India, on the other hand, reached won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAlso Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Full squads of all eight teams participating in CT25
Champions Trophy squads of India and Australia
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, (one more player to be added)