India vs Australia in Champions Trophy Final: Ponting, Shastri pick favourites

Ricky Ponting and Ravi Shastri backed India and Australia as the top contenders for the Champions Trophy final, citing their squad depth, recent successes, and experience as key factors that could help them dominate the tournament.

In Short

• Ponting and Shastri predict India and Australia as Champions Trophy finalists
• Pakistan named as a strong contender after recent ODI performances
• India and Australia prepare with upcoming ODI series before tournament

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Indian cricket legend Ravi Shastri have named India and Australia as their top contenders for the upcoming Champions Trophy final. Both believe that the depth and quality in the squads of these two powerhouses make them strong favourites to go all the way in the tournament.

With the Champions Trophy set to kick off on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai, excitement is already building around defending T20 World Cup champions India and defending ODI World Cup winners Australia. In a recent interview for The ICC Review with Sanjana Ganesan, Ponting and Shastri highlighted the recent successes of both teams across formats, stating that it is “hard to look past them” when predicting the tournament’s finalists.

“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 both in prime form, and it would take a lot for any other team to challenge them,” Shastri said.

Ponting, while backing India and Australia, also picked co-hosts Pakistan as a strong contender for the trophy. He pointed to their impressive performances in ODI cricket, most notably their recent 3-0 series win over South Africa, as evidence of their potential to challenge for the title.

The other team that is playing some really good cricket at the moment is Pakistan...Their one-day cricket over the last little bit has been absolutely outstanding. They’re not always the most predictable team in those big tournaments, but they seem like they’ve sorted things out a little bit," Ponting added.

India, despite their strength in white-ball cricket, have endured a few setbacks in the ODI format. Their last ODI outing resulted in a series defeat against Sri Lanka, raising concerns about their consistency in the 50-over format. However, they will have an opportunity to fine-tune their squad before the Champions Trophy, as Rohit Sharma's men take on England in a three-match ODI series starting February 6.

Meanwhile, Australia, fresh off their ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka, will also get valuable match practice with a three-match ODI series against the same opposition. The upcoming ODIs for both teams will serve as crucial preparation for the high-stakes tournament, where the competition is expected to be fierce.

With India and Australia boasting world-class talent and proven success on the big stage, both Ponting and Shastri firmly believe that these two teams have the edge over the rest. However, with Pakistan also posing a strong challenge and other teams aiming for an upset, the Champions Trophy promises to be a thrilling contest.