Sunil Gavaskar, I've got a question for you from Sunny Bhaji. In your recent interview, you mentioned that Pakistan's cricket team is the favorite for the Champions Trophy. Sunny Bhaji, are you talking about the Pakistan right next to us? I mean, there’s no other Pakistan in the world, right? Are you sure about this? I mean, if you say it, then fine, but are you really saying that Pakistan is the favorite for the Champions Trophy? The reason you gave is that the home side usually has an advantage in home conditions.
It's tough to beat someone in a major event, especially when they have the advantage of home pitches, home crowds, and home conditions. That's why Sunny feels that Pakistan is the favorite in the Champions Trophy. He said, India in the 2023 World Cup. Sure, they lost the final, but before that, in all the matches, including the semifinals and the group stages, they didn’t lose a single game. Not one! They delivered impeccable performances and dominated everyone, especially Australia."
Otherwise, if you look at India’s performances in this Champions Trophy, both teams have a huge advantage. They’re neighbors—Pakistan has its own trophy, its own grounds, and its own pitches. Pakistan will be hosting the matches, so as Sunny said, they'll have the home ground, home crowd, and home conditions working for them. All these advantages will definitely benefit Pakistan. And then there’s Team India."
The advantage is that they basically have to play all their matches in Dubai, including the group stage games. Pakistan will have to travel, New Zealand will have to travel, and Bangladesh will have to travel. If they make it to the semifinals, that’ll be there too, and if they reach the finals, that’ll be there as well for the Champions Trophy. So India has a decent advantage. Oh, and here's another fun fact: there have been eight editions of the Champions Trophy, and only once has it happened that...
The host nation also lifted the trophy, and they won the Champions Trophy, but there's a twist. The other finalist shared the trophy with them. Let me tell you when this event happened. The Champions Trophy kicked off in '98, hosted by Bangladesh, and South Africa won it. Then in 2000, Kenya hosted the Champions Trophy, and New Zealand took home the trophy. The third edition was in 2002, hosted by Sri Lanka, and the final was between Sri Lanka and India.
There have been two instances where the final couldn't be completed, and the trophy was shared between Sri Lanka and India. This is the only time a nation that hosted the Champions Trophy actually lifted it, even if just half. The fourth edition took place in England, which the West Indies won. The fifth edition was in 2004, and then in 2006, it was held in India, with Australia taking the win. In 2009, the Champions Trophy was in South Africa, and Australia won that too. Then in 2013, it was back in England, and India came out on top. Finally, in 2017, India won again.
The Champions Trophy is happening again in England, and Pakistan won it. Now the Champions Trophy is being held in Pakistan, with a small part of it taking place in Dubai. The big question is, who will be the winner? The Pakistan team is in great form right now; their batting is really strong. If Sai Ayub joins in, it’s going to be fantastic—the team's looking really good. Our other main opener is also doing well, and if Sai links up with him, it’ll be even better. Plus, the bowling is in great shape!
"Just check it out, alright? Our main thing is still the same premium, right? So we have to look at everything based on that. Shahid has been good, Naseem has been good, both of them are doing fine. Specifically for Shaheen, we have some advantages. But here's the thing, we also have this other issue going on. Listen up, sir, before the 2011 World Cup, Aamir and Asif were our main bowlers and got caught up in match-fixing. Then for the 2015 World Cup, they declared our Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez's bowling actions illegal because of this new rule that came out."
I went there back in 2000 for the 22nd T20, and that's when Shine’s gun went off. Now, this 2000 is like the 25th Champions Trophy, but before that, our guy Saim Ayub got injured. There's always a bit of drama before any major ICC event, right? So let’s see, fingers crossed! Sunny Bhai called us the favorites, so let's get our guns ready for some firecrackers, and then we’ll show our stuff on the ground. If our guys win the Champions Trophy, it’ll be amazing! What an opportunity!
"They've got a good lineup with solid batting and bowling. The new captain, Rizwan, knows how to manage the guys. I'm really hoping that Pakistan can set a record this time by winning the Champions Trophy in the country that hosted it.
0 Comments