As excitement builds for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has identified India and Pakistan as the top contenders for the prestigious tournament. With the competition returning on February 19 after more than seven years, Muralitharan believes that the two arch-rivals have the best chance of lifting the trophy, given their familiarity with subcontinent conditions.
The upcoming Champions Trophy will see the world’s top eight ODI teams—India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and defending champions Pakistan—battle for the coveted title. However, Muralitharan feels that India and Pakistan hold the edge over others.
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“There are favorites, but you can’t be assured that this team will win. India and Pakistan will be favorites. Pakistan because of home conditions, and India is also a top team in these conditions,” Muralitharan told media.
India heads into the tournament on the back of a dominant ODI series win against England, showing signs of regaining form in the 50-over format after a brief slump. In contrast, Pakistan has had mixed fortunes, securing ODI series victories in Zimbabwe, Australia, and South Africa but struggling on home turf.
Pakistan’s recent 78-run loss against New Zealand in the opening match of the tri-nation series in Lahore raised concerns. However, they will look to regain momentum in their upcoming clash against South Africa.
With the Champions Trophy set to be played across Pakistan and Dubai, Muralitharan expects spinners to have a significant impact.
“Rashid (Khan) is good, and there is (Ravindra) Jadeja. You have a lot of spinners coming through in world cricket, so they will do really well in this tournament because I think the wickets will help the spinners,” he noted.
Spin-friendly conditions could work in favor of teams with strong slow-bowling options, giving an added advantage to sides like India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, who boast world-class spinners in their squads.
Beyond team performances, one of the major talking points heading into the tournament will be the form of Indian stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. While Rohit ended his poor run with a century against England in Cuttack, Virat is still struggling to regain consistency in international cricket.
Muralitharan, however, remains confident that both players will rediscover their best form.
“I always say form is temporary and class is permanent. They are great players, and they will come to form,” he stated.
The 2024-25 Test season was particularly challenging for the duo. Rohit managed just 164 runs in eight matches at an average of 10.93, while Virat’s 382 runs in 10 matches came at an average of 22.87. Overall, Virat ended the year with 655 international runs in 23 matches, his lowest in over a decade.
With India and Pakistan set to face off in the group stage on February 23 in Dubai, the tournament will witness one of the most anticipated cricketing clashes. Pakistan will begin their campaign against New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi, while their final group-stage fixture will be against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan’s Group Stage Fixtures:
February 19 – Pakistan vs New Zealand, Karachi.
February 23 – Pakistan vs India, Dubai.
February 27 – Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Rawalpindi.
Pakistan squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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