Many colours of ICC Champions Trophy

International Cricket Council's (ICC) Champions Trophy will return to the global calendar after an eight-year gap when it kicks off in Karachi on February 19. Though initially it was decided that this championship would be held exclusively in Pakistan, this was subsequently changed to have all India matches held in Dubai.

The schedule change was on account of the difficulties expressed by India in playing their matches in Pakistan due to security concerns. The hosts objected to this demand but found themselves in a minority as other members supported India's stand. However, the change has created problems in firming up the itinerary of this tournament as the venues for the semifinals and final cannot be decided till the contestants are identified!

The championship has had a chequered history since its inception in 1998, when it was staged in Bangladesh. What started as a short tournament with the objective of raising funds for the development of the sport in non-member countries has witnessed different formats and a change in the frequency of its conduct.

The first two editions were held in Bangladesh and Kenya, two non-member countries. However, since 2002, matches have been hosted only by countries with a “full member” status in ICC. But that will also change this year with Dubai hosting some matches.

Crowded out
When it was first conceived, the ICC wanted to host the championship once every two years. However, as the international cricket calendar started getting crowded, with the commencement of the ICC T20 World Cup and the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), it was decided to conduct this once every four years after 2009.

The championship was scheduled to be held in Pakistan in 2008 but was postponed due to security issues in that country, and South Africa was given the task of organising this edition in 2009. Since then, the tournament has been held only twice - in 2013 and 2017. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was the host on both occasions.

The number of teams that take part in the Champions Trophy and the format employed for its conduct have also kept changing frequently. In the first edition only nine sides were there, which was increased to 11 in the next one. The 2002 and 2004 editions saw 12 teams, which came down to 10 in 2006, while the number has remained steady at eight since then.

Knock-out tournament
From the beginning, the tournament was intended to be short, so the format was knock-out. But when the number of teams increased, they were placed in two groups, with the top two sides from each qualifying for the semifinals. This format has been in place since 2006.

Why did the ICC not conduct the Champions Trophy in 2021? The ostensible reason was that since ICC was conducting two full-fledged World Cups in 50 overs format and in T20 matches, more championships in either of these versions would be superfluous. Hence, it was considered that there was no requirement to hold one more tournament in the 50 overs format. However, this decision was reviewed subsequently, and the tournament was resumed.

What is interesting, though, is that the ICC chose to revive a 50-over tournament, a format that is facing serious existential issues. There has been a sharp drop in the number of one-day internationals (ODIs) played in recent years. India played only three ODIs in 2024, which is the lowest for any national side in any calendar year since 1980. While India did not take this format seriously during the pre-1983 phase, when the national side seldom won any matches, the situation is far too different now.

India's dominance in the 2023 World Cup, hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), testifies to the strength of the national team in this format. Then why is BCCI reluctant to include more ODIs in their fixtures?

Test cricket, being the oldest and inarguably the purest and most demanding form of the game, still retains its significance. Each full member of ICC ensures that a minimum number of matches of this version gets played yearly. For many years, ICC and most national cricket boards promoted both formats, but, of late, there appears to be a waning of spectator interest towards ODIs.

The sad fact is that the ODI has rapidly yielded space to T20, which is now preferred by everyone—players, spectators, officials, sponsors, and broadcasters. Right from club level, the T20 format has taken the game by storm by offering a perfect recipe of excitement, thrill, and, most importantly, value for the time and money spent.

Spectators, even those who follow the game on TV, invariably feel that spending an entire day watching the game is too tedious and time-consuming! Caught between the newly arrived sleeker version and the classier classical one, 50-overs-a-side is on a downward slide at present. It does not need a crystal ball to predict that ODI matches will become a rare commodity in the not-too-distant future.

Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that the commencement of the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy has not generated significant excitement among the game's followers.

India's chances
India are placed in Group “A”, along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. Group “B” comprises of Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa. As is the norm in ICC tournaments, India and Pakistan will clash in the group stage on a Sunday (February 23) to ensure that the sponsors and TV broadcasters do not miss out on their earnings. India will play all their matches at Dubai, while games in Pakistan will be held at Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

What are India’s prospects in this championship? The side will certainly miss the presence of Jasprit Bumrah, the best fast bowler in the world in all formats. The return of Mohammed Shami may provide some solace but he will have the disadvantage of having very little match practice.

Selectors have gambled on replacing Mohammed Siraj with Arshdeep Singh to bring some variety with the new ball. The side appears to be overloaded with spinners. Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, and Washington Sundar are five of them in the squad. This may be due to the team management’s belief that the pitches in Dubai will favour spin bowlers.

On the batting front, much will depend on whether Rohit and Kohli can find the form that made them batsmen capable of destroying any bowling attack on their day. While Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer's good form in the recently concluded series against England is a positive aspect, the side will still need Rohit to provide the tempo at the top of the order and Kohli to maintain it through the middle overs.

This championship may prove to be the swansong for Rohit, Virat and Jadeja in ICC tournaments. All three had announced that they would not turn out for India in T20 matches after last year's World Cup win. They are all on the other side of 30s and will unlikely retain the eagerness and enthusiasm to be part of one more gruelling World Cup campaign at this stage in their career. Hence one can be certain that they will put their best feet forward to ensure that they go out on a winning note in this championship.

On current form, it appears that India will not find it difficult to qualify for the knockout stage, and once there, it is a question of which side performs better on a particular day. But cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties where shocks and upsets tend to happen with an alarming frequency. Hence, there is absolutely no scope for complacency in any match. Let us hope and pray that Rohit Sharma and his boys will strike top form and return with the trophy India last won in 2013.

All the best to Rohit and the side! Best wishes for a successful championship!