India and Pakistan played in the ICC Champions Trophy final in 2017, where the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led team secured a dominant 180-run victory. Pakistan, the reigning champions, will be hoping to defend their title. The two arch-rivals are set to play each other in a high-stakes match in Dubai on February 23.
Hussain said that Australia were his tournament favorites, but injuries to key players changed his stance. He added that India are favorites despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami’s recent return from injury. The former batter said that playing all their matches in Dubai is an advantage for India.
"But India have so much depth with the bat, with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, and so many spin options, who are all all-rounders as well. Another advantage India have is that they will play all their matches in Dubai, so they don’t have to travel and will get very used to the conditions," he added.
Afghanistan Will Be a Threat - Nasser Hussain
"While I actually haven’t got them going through to the semi-final, there is a lot of jeopardy in this tournament. If the conditions are there for Afghanistan, they will absolutely be a threat. Under the coaching of Jonathan Trott, Afghanistan have made incredible progress," Hussain wrote in the same column.
Champions Trophy 2025 Set to Kick Off with Match Between Pakistan and New Zealand
Pakistan is set to face New Zealand in the Champions Trophy opener today (February 19) in Karachi. India will begin their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday, February 20. Pakistan will have an advantage of playing at home but suffered two defeats to New Zealand in the recent tri-series.
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