(Virat Kohli does a 'Gangnam Style' after India's win in 2013)
Those who have tracked Indian cricket closely over the last few decades will remember three things clearly about the 2013 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, which India won: Shikhar Dhawan as player of the tournament (363 runs at an average of 90.75), the final with England being reduced to a T20 match, and Virat Kohli's solo dance performance at the trophy presentation. Some memories are forever.
Over the years, this win also became significant because of Team India's inability to clinch ICC trophies for a long time. To date, this remains the last instance of India having won an ICC ODI tournament.
Will India Change Course?
With the return of the tournament this year (after 2017), the men in blue have a chance to change that as the focus switches firmly from red ball to white ball cricket. While the team management will have one eye on next year's T20 World Cup, which India are scheduled to co-host along with Sri Lanka, the upcoming Champions Trophy will also be of immense importance for a number of crucial reasons. The biggest is this: after a huge blow to the team's confidence, thanks to extremely underwhelming performances against Sri Lanka in ODIs and New Zealand and Australia in Tests, the team needs a shot in the arm. The euphoria that buoyed Indian cricket after the T20 World Cup win last year can be recreated if the country goes on to win the Champions Trophy. After all, it is ‘the mini-World Cup'.
The international cricket future of two Indian batting stars, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, is also intrinsically intertwined with this edition of the tournament. Neither player can survive a flop outing. The next edition of the ODI World Cup is in 2027, and while both would ideally want to be around for that tournament in Africa—especially after the heartbreak of losing the final of the 2023 edition at home—they will know that they can't survive on goodwill alone. Their bats will have to start talking. For Virat, this is a golden opportunity to strike form. He will be aiming to put his technical struggles behind him and focus on the format that helped him pick up monikers like ‘King Kohli' and ‘chase master'. He has almost 14,000 runs in this format, at an average of almost 59, and holds the world record for the most centuries (50), having surpassed the previous record held by Sachin Tendulkar (49).
A Chance For Kohli And Sharma
Kohli may be struggling to find form, having dropped himself from a Test match (in Sydney) despite being captain, and might be finding it tough to score runs in domestic cricket. Rohit Sharma will also be licking his chops thinking about the opportunity that the Champions Trophy affords him at a time when his legacy as a player and captain is at risk. I was at the Gwalior cricket stadium in February 2010, covering an ODI between India and South Africa for NDTV, and witnessed first-hand Sachin Tendulkar becoming the first player ever to score an ODI double century. No one at that time could have imagined that some day, Rohit Sharma would hold the world record with as many as three double tons in the format. He is ranked number two in the ODI batting rankings, behind only Babar Azam, and has an average of almost 50, with 31 centuries. Needless to say, if there's one format that should give him the confidence he sorely needs, it's one-day cricket. It's a great opportunity for image re-building as well, and the mini-World Cup comes up at just the right time for these two pillars of Indian ODI cricket.
Similar thoughts will also be whirling in coach Gautam Gambhir's head. The former India cricketer hasn't really had the greatest of starts to his coaching career. It might seem like it's been a while, but let's not forget that Gambhir took over as coach only about six months ago. It's true that the results under him haven't been great, but it would be unfair to judge his coaching acumen already. Public memory is short, and if India do well in the current bilateral series with England and then go on to win the Champions Trophy, that will be a big feather in his cap. Nothing pleases boards, fans and critics like an ICC trophy.
Odds May Favour India
So, can India, who are the joint most successful team at this tournament (two titles), realistically win the Champions Trophy this time? Honestly, there's no reason they can't. They will be playing all their matches in Dubai (including the knockouts, if they qualify for them). I recently spoke to former Indian First-Class cricketer and commentator Ajay Mehra, who is currently in the UAE as part of the commentary panel for the ILT20. He is seeing first-hand how the pitches at the Dubai International Stadium are behaving. /he told me that he “wouldn't be surprised if India win this edition of the Champions Trophy”.
The ODI format is not a fickle one, like T20is, where one performance can tilt the scales decisively. The eight best ODI teams in the world (as per finishes in the league stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup) will be going toe to toe, and India, who have been clubbed with Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in Group A, will have to be on top of their game if they are to win their third title. And that makes the ongoing bilateral series with England, especially the three ODIs, extremely important. The coaching staff will be keeping a hawk's eye on the players who are part of the Champions Trophy squad, including someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is part of the ODI squad against England. Such has been his impact—thanks to some mind-boggling consistency in Test and T20 cricket—that he was given his maiden ODI call-up and included in the Champions Trophy squad. Twelve years after Shikhar Dhawan ruled the roost at this tournament, can another Indian left-handed opening batter have a similar impact?
An Achilles' Heel
The batting strength and depth, on paper, is not a concern, with the selectors picking five specialist batters, two wicket-keeper batters, three spinning all-rounders and one fast-bowling all-rounder. But the fast-bowling department does face a big question mark. There are three specialist pacers, and two of them, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, are back after injuries. Bumrah in fact will have just one ODI (third with England) to test his match fitness before the Champions Trophy, and that too if he can make it back for that game. Shami, meanwhile, was not part of the playing XI for the first T20I in Kolkata. Though India has as many as four spin options, at least two out-and-out quicks are expected to play, and with no Mohammed Siraj in the squad. This is one area that could be a bit of an Achilles' heel for them.
Planning for that will be part of the ODI strategies that the team management must be drawing up currently. Though India's 2023-27 FTP bilateral ODI engagements are the second-fewest (42) behind only South Africa, 2025 is well and truly a year of ODIs for them, with two away ODI series in Bangladesh and Australia and a home ODI series against South Africa lined-up this year, along with the one with England, which starts on February 6.
And of course, another huge incentive for the men in blue to try and win the Champions Trophy this time will be a shot at redemption. The last time they played in this tournament, in 2017, they lost the final to arch-rival Pakistan. It was an embarrassing outing, with the team being bowled out for 158, chasing 339 to win. If it's an India vs Pakistan final again, there could be a chance for some sweet revenge.
(The author is a former sports editor and primetime sports news anchor. He is currently a columnist, features writer and stage actor)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
