The Champions Trophy returns to the cricket calendar after eight years, marking a significant moment for Pakistan, which hosts a major ICC event for the first time in 29 years. Eight teams will compete for the prestigious title, once famously dubbed the mini-World Cup.
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00:00Special episode of the Sledging Room. We are going to preview the Champions Trophy. I have
00:10with me Sabih Sachi and Alan. You know, a bunch of 30 plus have gathered here to discuss
00:20the Champions Trophy. It's special because Sabih and Alan, I wanted to ask both of you,
00:26what were you doing when Pakistan last hosted an ICC event, a major ICC event, which was
00:32a generation ago. 1996. To be precise, 29 years ago. Sabih? Yes, so I wasn't in this
00:40field. I was in banking thinking about what the customers will feel like if I don't turn
00:47up with their complaints. In 1996? No, in 2017. Sabih, age fudging has happened. Now,
00:562015, when was the last time Pakistan hosted a major tournament? Did you even watch that
01:01tournament live? Yes, back in 2004, I think. Yes, I watched that tournament. 2004? I'm
01:10asking about 1996. 1996, I had no clue about cricket. When Jaisurya and Ramesh Kalupichandana
01:19set the tone for Sri Lanka in the World Cup, I had no clue about cricket. I only started
01:23watching from 1999 when Wasim Akram, those guys lost in the final. Before that, I have no clue.
01:29My mind went to 2017. I know your affinity, but let's not get there immediately. So I was like,
01:44is he the man from the earth? Is he a banker in the 1900s and a scientist in the 1900s?
01:51Man of all trades. Do you have any memories of watching that tournament?
01:59Exactly. But I do remember it's like it was that era when you had those small player cards that
02:06used to come with, I think, which was that bubblegum? Big, big fun. I think it was. So it
02:13was a very old one. I'm sorry. I think probably everybody will. Half of us, if they are Gen Z's
02:19and all of them listening to us might be wondering what the hell is it? So there used to be those
02:24small cards that used to come with, you buy one and you'll get like one card. So my brother used
02:29to have a collection of it. And my brother was a big fan of cricket at that time. I was probably
02:34five or six years old and I had basically no recollection of cricket, but I was slowly getting
02:40into cricket at that point in time. So the 96 World Cup, I don't have a lot of memory about it.
02:46But yeah, I think I have heard stories about how Sri Lanka were able to beat Australia in that World
02:53Cup. Yeah. How things did not pan out well for India. But at the end of the day, India did beat
02:58Pakistan during the group stage matches. One of the great matches, one of the great occasions as
03:04well. You saw Amir Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad have the greatest banter probably. Wasn't that the
03:10Kambli semi-final? Yes, where Kambli was had broken down and like, I think it was Eden Gardens that
03:18went. Yeah. So Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India co-hosted that tournament. Yes. In 1996. I think
03:23my memory of watching a cricket match live was the 2002 NatWest series, even the Eden Gardens
03:28Test 2001. But an ODI World Cup, a major event was 2003 World Cup. I think it must be the same
03:34for most of us, probably Sabya and Alan 1999. You might have, I don't know. I remember the 2001
03:41Test match because my parents had made the bold decision to cut cable in our house because I was
03:46not studying well. From 1999. I have that memory when Bangladesh defeated Pakistan in that
03:53tournament and a small Khalid Mahmood, that all rounder was sledging someone like Wasim Akram,
03:59who was almost double of Khalid Mahmood. So I have that memory from that World Cup 1999.
04:04These Asian rivalries are very underrated. I hope you know, Afghanistan, Pakistan, especially
04:09Afghanistan fans traveling to Pakistan like Sabya alluded to, hope there is no trouble there. But
04:15we are just discussing this because Pakistan are going to be the hosts or co-hosts. I don't know
04:20how to name it. Co-hosts because majority of the matches they are going to host. India's matches
04:23will be played in Dubai. Pakistan hosting a tournament after say 29 years. It's going to
04:29be a little emotional for the fans who have followed the sport from that era. Seeing Pakistan
04:35teams dominate, you know, the fanfare in Pakistan was as good as any other country back then. But
04:41that unfortunate 2009 incident happened after which many international teams decided not to
04:46travel to Pakistan, which slowly changed after say 2015 when Zimbabwe came and 2017 and ICC 11
04:55led by FAF came there. From 2021 onwards, they have been hosting major international teams.
05:01But to quickly dive into the, you know, the prospect of the battle that lies ahead of us,
05:08eight teams split into two groups of four each. India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh in
05:14Group A, whereas England, South Africa, Australia and Afghanistan in Group B. Sabya, Alan, let's
05:20start with Group A probably. So this is this is going to be a fun assignment as in like for our
05:26we'll just preview the teams, we'll just see the strengths and weaknesses of each teams.
05:30We'll probably take 5-10 minutes for each team. And then at the end of it, we'll also rate the
05:34teams so that you know, there is a number attached to the teams that gives us a better
05:40way to you know, pick our top four at the end of this episode, which is what probably most
05:45previews are going to be. But let's make it a little fun. Sabya, let's start with your favourite
05:49team. And probably I think the weakest team in the tournament, Bangladesh. Where do you think
05:55as in like Bangladesh can finish? And how does this team look?
05:59See, it doesn't feel good telling this, but Bangladesh almost likely to lose all three
06:05matches in the group stages. Although Nadmul Shanto, their captain has said,
06:09yeah, that we are here to win the Champions Trophy.
06:11That's at least a good thing to say. Unlike the Shakibal Hassan of the past,
06:15where he comes to the ICC ODI World Cup and gribs about it.
06:18We are here to participate.
06:19No, that's, that doesn't say.
06:20We have to accept that what Ricky Ponting said that compared to other teams, Bangladesh are far
06:25from their best. And even Afghanistan, a team like Afghanistan has a better chance of winning
06:31the title than Bangladesh.
06:32Should they have been in this tournament is my question. Like, probably had Sri Lanka or West
06:37Indies.
06:37The man who actually helped Bangladesh qualify for that, the Champions Trophy, he's himself
06:44isn't there. He scored a 50 in that game. And we all know the contribution he made in that match
06:50against Sri Lanka.
06:51You're referring to whom? Ashraful or Shakibal Hassan?
06:54Yes, I'm referring to Shakibal Hassan and the contribution he made in that game,
06:59through his smart presence of mind, or you might say he was not maybe he was not playing by the
07:06spirit, but then it again, helped Bangladesh. But I believe that they have got, they haven't,
07:11they have the talent in their squad. But I feel they can, they even can turn up one or two teams.
07:19But it's very difficult for them to win in presence of teams like India, England, who will be one of
07:24the favourites to lift the title.
07:26They're not going to face England in that group. They're going to face India, Pakistan.
07:30In case.
07:31And New Zealand. So what do you think of a batting lineup like Tanjit Hassan and Shanto at the top
07:36or probably what will happen to that? You know, can they post scores of 250, 260?
07:41See, Bangladesh's highest score in ODI is 349. So 350, I'm not sure. I told one of my friends
07:52in Bangladesh that if Bangladesh scored 350, they might beat India. He said that
07:59if Bangladesh are going to score 350, I will finance the entire of your wedding.
08:05So this is this is what he said.
08:07A lot of stakes are riding on Bangladesh's 350 at the moment.
08:11But which one will happen first? Bangladesh scoring 350 or you getting married? It's been like,
08:18oh, you know what one Sabia when he joined our team back in like two, three years ago,
08:24once he promised that only if Bangladesh win an ICC tournament, he'll think about marriage.
08:29Now the plans have changed.
08:30But Bangladesh have won a junior tournament.
08:32Yes.
08:33So Sabia has kept that as he has said that, okay, this is going to happen.
08:38That is the most disappointing thing about this Bangladesh team. When you see them play in the
08:43under 19 levels, they are better than most, they're better than India, they're better than
08:46Pakistan. But when they transition into the senior team, those same players playing
08:51Sabia don't you think someone like a Mushfiqur or Mahmudullah can't do well on these pitches
08:55in Pakistan, which probably might not be as batting friendly as we are, you know, looking at
09:01See, when it comes to ICC events, and Mahmudullah, there's a separate love story.
09:05Mahmudullah has always done well, he has scored three World Cup hundreds plus I
09:09can't I was writing about that knock he played against New Zealand,
09:13when Bangladesh was struggling at 33, for 33, for four, and then he and Chakya Balasan came in
09:19and put on that partnership of 242 runs, which is the second highest in the history of the
09:23Champions Trophy. So when it comes to Mahmudullah, there is no doubt but again, Mushfiqur, he has
09:28been going through a bit of a lean patch. And in that middle order, his role is very important.
09:35And Mahmudullah, by the way, is the oldest player in the team. He is 39. And but he has scored four
09:41consecutive 50s. So he might be old, his beard might have grown a little gray, white.
09:47But as far as coding is concerned, he is still amongst the most reliable player in that team.
09:54And even if they score something like 260 somewhere, do they have the bowling attack
09:58to limit opposing teams? See, in like, say, like India, Pakistan and New Zealand, which
10:02who are in their group, they have the pace attack. I'm very excited to see Nahid Rana,
10:07because as they say that if pace is not synced with proper line and length, you will go for runs.
10:13But Nahid is someone who has troubled batters with his pace even in the BPL, Bangladesh Premier
10:18League while playing for Rangpur Riders. So he can trouble the batters. Plus, there is a leader
10:23of the pack, Tashkent Ahmed. I was a little surprised to see when Shoriful was left out.
10:28Mustafiz is there. So they have a decent attack. Even in the spin attack in the absence of
10:35Shakib, they have someone like Rishad Hussain, who did extremely well in that T20 World Cup.
10:41They have Nasu Mehmet, who can bat well, and also bowl well. Plus, they have the experience
10:45of Mehdi Hasan Miraz, who, unlike a lot of Bangladesh cricketers, is matured. He knows
10:53how to craft an innings, he will come to bat at eight, but he will bat like a specialist batter.
10:58Plus he has that bowling. But overall, I feel that something is lacking, some ruthlessness
11:03is lacking. They can get those boundaries, but to get that 350-400, like most teams have been
11:09doing, like India have been doing, like England can do, that thing, I feel that they are lacking
11:14a bit. Would Shakib have made a difference? Sorry to cut you there, sir.
11:17I think, like what, right now, when he was analysing the team, when you look at those
11:21names, the bowling looks very good. But in batting, you need that X factor, right, for every
11:26single team. You know, Litton, I understand that he was not informed, but he was always at X factor
11:32batter. Because just because of his one innings against India in Australia, where he genuinely
11:39gave a scare, it was a very, very big scare for that Indian team at that point in time.
11:44So having that kind of a player, regardless of his form, I think most of the teams do keep players
11:50like that. You look at England, they keep a Liam Livingstone, even though he's not been so prolific
11:55with the bat. They know that maybe one innings he would play and that could change the whole
11:59complexion of the tournament. See, it would, it would have been unfair to leave out someone like
12:03a Somo Sarkar, who did well on that on the tour of the West Indies. Litton had scored just six
12:07runs in five innings in 2024. That led to his downfall. Not every board is as lenient as England
12:13or Pakistan. So you need to understand that. So maybe I think that is going to be a problem
12:19for Bangladesh. Because when you look at it, like, yeah, Mohamed Ullah has been a very,
12:23very prolific batter when it comes to ICC tournaments. But what, like, to reach to
12:29Mohamed Ullah, you will have probably five, four or five batters before him. What about those four
12:34or five batters? Because I don't think Shanto has been in the best of form. Shanto has been doing
12:41relatively well. He has been scoring at around some 45-50 average in the last past 12 months.
12:47But again, as he said, the X factor is missing in this lineup. If someone can come in and change
12:53the game, it's like a score of 15-40. So that kind of a knock. They might score a striker of 120
13:00at a runner ball, they might go. But that X factor is missing. Someone who comes in,
13:05the required rate is around 12. Come in, smash, smash, smash, finish the match off.
13:09These kind of a player Bangladesh is lacking at this point in time.
13:13So where do you see them finish as in like, how much would you rate their squad first?
13:18Me, I will go with still being lenient, four and a half.
13:22Out of 10?
13:23Out of 10.
13:24And out of five, yeah, leniency is, yeah.
13:28I'm being little, but they are going to, might end up losing all the matches.
13:34Alan, you?
13:35I think, yeah, their bowling is good. But I think even if they restrict any team to a 270,
13:41I don't think they have the batting to chase that score down. And that could be a problem against,
13:47you know, good bowling attacks. And so yeah, I think my rating is going to be four.
13:56And I think they are going to finish at the bottom of the group.
13:59So no surprises from Bangladesh, that we all agree. And probably my rating would be also
14:04around four or 4.5 for Bangladesh. Moving on, should we look at India now as in like,
14:08you know, we have, we should have. Sabih, you said, before the podcast, I asked him,
14:15which team do you think is likely the strongest? Which team would you rate 10?
14:20Sabih started with India. Sabih, why do you think so? Because India don't have a Bumrah,
14:25which is probably a big blow. But looking at a, from a neutral point of view, probably
14:32we all should tell our viewers and listeners that Sabih doesn't, you know, follow India as
14:38much as we do, as much as the rest of the, that's completely okay. He has his affinity towards
14:43other teams. But Sabih, from that standpoint, why do you think India will be dangerous,
14:49especially when playing in Dubai? Keep in mind that India is going to play in Dubai.
14:52So see, one might get carried away by thinking that India played in that T20 World Cup 2021,
15:00where they faced similar oppositions and they lost. But this is a one day format. And they have
15:06players who are in form. They have players who recently did well in this ODIC second England,
15:12there were all sorts of concerns regarding Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rohit dismissed them,
15:18scored 100, even Virat Kohli turned to form Shubhman Gill, Shreya Sair, most of their boxes
15:23are ticked. The only concern I feel that why did they leave out Yashaswi Biswal and picked Varun
15:32Chakravorty? Because I felt that some previously I have seen examples, where players have been
15:38fast tracked into the ODI test teams, but they couldn't quite survive. One example is Sunil
15:42Narine. He was taken into the West Indies ODI team play test cricket. But the moment batsmen
15:50used to sit on them and play those defensive shots, they became ineffective. Now that Varun
15:56is in this team, did they hurry a little bit? So apart from that, I think India have a very strong
16:04squad. Even though they do not have someone like Bumrah, but they do have Harshit Rana,
16:10they do have Ravindra Jadeja, they do have Akshar Patel. And that is a favourable bowling attack
16:16compared to the other teams. They can definitely go to the semifinal and one final, maybe they can
16:20win the tournament. And you as in like, will Bumrah's absence be felt? I think we have all
16:28come to the common consensus that, you know, the last time also, I think when Saurabh was here,
16:34he said that Bumrah is the MVP for India, right? Now missing a Bumrah is a huge thing, because
16:39what Bumrah has done for India is not just pick up wickets, big wickets, but he's also created
16:46pressure, which has opened the way for other bowlers to come in and pick up wickets as well.
16:50You look at Shami in the 23 World Cup, you look at Arshdeep in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
16:56Arshdeep in fact owes his entire T20 career to Jasprit Bumrah.
17:01So that is something that is going to be missing right now. Because what I feel, Harshith is a
17:06very good bowler who works well when the ball gets a little bit older, which we have seen in the
17:12England series as well. In the first 10 overs, he's been going for runs, but the second spell
17:17that he comes in, that is the best spell that he can bowl. And even in IPL also, I have seen the
17:22same from him. So that is one of my concerns because, yeah, we are now going to depend on
17:27Shami. But how fit is Mohammad Shami? Because the reports have stated that he was strapped up,
17:32heavily strapped up, not at his great pace. And we also saw that in the ODI series as well.
17:40He was a bowler who would hit 140 consistently, but that speed is lacking at the moment.
17:45But we all know that Shami can obviously turn everyone's opinion about him. We saw that in the
17:52World Cup. He came on and started just picking wickets for fun. So now Shami has to take up a
17:59very different role. He has to be the leader of this attack. That is something that I'm not very
18:05sure, not a lot confident about, because he has to give that confidence to a guy like Harshdeep.
18:12He has to give that confidence to a guy like Harshid Rana. Obviously, giving advice is one
18:16thing because he's the most senior bowler. But, you know, actually implementing it in the game,
18:21that is going to be a problem. That is one of the things that I do see.
18:25I think also the fact that, you know, we have taken too many spinners.
18:30I think Ashwin pointed it out that two spinners too many. Maybe because I think we could have
18:37ideally kept a Yashaswi Jaiswal just as cover. And we could have actually told Washington Sundar to,
18:42you know, maybe sit out. Because we do have Akshar and Jadeja who play almost a similar role as
18:49Washington Sundar. And also, if you want to take the ball away from the left-hander,
18:53there is Kuldeep Yadav for that. And India also have a spinner who has two IPL hat-tricks
18:59to his name. I think the 2023 ODI World Cup he bowled. He and Kohli, everybody chipped it.
19:07Let's not get there. Why are our batters not bowling? But like Sabya pointed out,
19:12I think even though the pace department does look a little bit shaky, I think the spin department,
19:17especially in that series against England was rock-solid. I think Jadeja has kind of,
19:22you know, tweaked himself to be an attacking bowler. He has performed well. He had the
19:27number of Joe Root throughout the series. He has done well. Kuldeep always steps up.
19:34Akshar, more than the spinner, I think the batter has helped out, giving a lot of stability.
19:41Another point, maybe the wicket-keeper slot. I don't know. I'm a little bit…
19:46Coach Kambir has made it clear that it's going to be KL Rahul, at least at the start of the
19:49tournament. At least at the start of the tournament. But apart from that, you look
19:52at the top four, that looks very settled. You know, always the pressure has been on
19:57Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to perform. But right now I am in the middle of writing a piece
20:03about Shubman Gill. The vice-captain. The vice-captain has stepped up massively. And
20:07that is something that people, I feel, don't give credit to Shubman Gill. He kind of goes
20:12under the radar. No, we mix formats. We mix formats too much. Once the test series was over.
20:18I remember a lot of people questioned why Shubman Gill is the vice-captain of this
20:22white ball team. I said, hey, he was made the vice-captain long before.
20:251500 runs in 2023. World-leading tally is what I think.
20:29Since the stat that I have checked up right now was that since 2022, he has scored more than 2500
20:37runs, 700, which is the joint highest in the format, and 1550s. And in the England series,
20:44he added 250s and 100. And he has been in sensational form. And he kind of, I think he
20:50was waiting for being given that role of vice-captain. He feels that, okay, I belong in
20:55this team right now. I have made my mark here. And they trust me with this role. If Rohit Sharma is
21:02not there for due to some injury or something, I can obviously step up and be the captain of this
21:07team. So he has kind of demanded that respect from his peers as well. So I feel he's going to
21:13be the star for India this time around. ODI World Cup, he could not get off to that start because
21:18he had Dengue and all those things. Then you have Shreyas Iyer. That is like the best top four that
21:25you can have. And if KL Rahul gets into form... No, but who are you going to play at No. 5? Is
21:29it KL Rahul or Akshar Patel? See, for me, I would honestly say let's, we should go with KL Rahul.
21:35But five right-hand batters at the top then. That is something... See, for me personally,
21:41I don't really care about these combinations. Because you don't play.
21:46Because we don't play. If Shaheen Shahafriddi swings it across the right-hander, then you'll
21:50know. That is where probably that flexibility comes in and Akshar could come in at No. 5.
21:57Why are we adamant about not playing Rishabh Pant there? Don't you think he's an X factor there?
22:01Rishabh Pant has done exceptionally in Test cricket, no doubt. But when it comes to
22:06ODI cricket, he scored 100 against England in 2022. I remember I joined just two to three months
22:12here and he scored that 100. I covered that match. So apart from that, and a few knocks here and
22:18there, the consistency Pant has showed in Test cricket hasn't quite been the case in ODIs and
22:25T20Is. But Akshar, how many ODIs has he played between then and now? Because he was out for a
22:30long time. He was not part of the 2023 ODI World Cup. And after that, how many ODIs India have
22:34played? Six plus three, nine ODIs, which is not a great sample size to judge someone when you think
22:40you are lacking left-handers in the middle. It's not like KL Rahul has done so well in all
22:44ICC tournaments. A recent example is there, November 19. That, you know, that horrible
22:53innings. You can't sugarcoat it. It was a very bad innings. So from there on, if you still keep
23:00on saying that, oh, I need KL Rahul there. He gives me solidity. Why not try Pant? It's not
23:06like Rohit Sharma is not in good form. Shubh Mangal is not in good form. You need some solidity.
23:11I still think that India should be open to at least thinking about playing Pant in one or two
23:15matches there. You can start with KL Rahul. But yeah, you should think about playing Pant. And
23:20one more thing, Alan and Sabih, all of us would agree that India have probably a 10 out of 10
23:25squad or a 9 out of 10 squad. Probably cutting that one point for just Bumrah. If Bumrah would
23:30have been there, it would have been 10.5 out of 10. That's how it always feels. But my concern,
23:37my big concern is the way this team management is thinking. Like we all know that during the
23:44Australia tour, India seldom picked the right team for the right pitches. As in like it was
23:50miscalculation always. Like Ashwin was, Ashwin was let go after the first test. Washington,
23:56Jadeja, swapping them either other. Yeah, you couldn't get the combination right. When you
24:00needed a pacer, you didn't play him. When you needed to hit the tech pacer, you didn't play him
24:03that pitch. My concern is this is still February. And Dubai is not going to be as hot as it will be
24:09it will be in the summer months. And if the pitches are not conducive to spin,
24:14like we have seen a little bit of paces getting a little bit of zip in Dubai. So I think if you
24:20are over reliant on spinners there, if they don't get the purchase, if Kuldeep, touch wood, Kuldeep
24:25is returning from a long injury layoff, if he doesn't get you wickets in that middle overs,
24:29Jadeja of course has done well in the bilateral series. But the very fact that we moved away from
24:34Jadeja after 2017 Champions Trophy was that he couldn't pick wickets in the middle overs.
24:40If that is the concern, Aksar is a defensive bowler. Jadeja is probably a defensive bowler.
24:45If that is the concern, if your new ball bowlers don't strike, then you might be in trouble. So I
24:50think the combination has to be properly set. Hardik is an extra fast bowling option. But
24:56whether you will play two paces with them or three paces with them, depending on the conditions in
25:00Dubai, you have to check that because Dubai is not going to be spin friendly. Dubai has not
25:05been spin friendly over the years as well. Plus India also need to be careful about using
25:09Harshit Rana. Harshit Rana is not someone who can bowl effectively with the new ball.
25:15As pointed out by one of the experts, he is a hit that egg bowler and that showed.
25:18And Arshdeep is a largely untested commodity in ODI. Yes, when you talk about Varun Chakravarthy,
25:24why he is so successful in T20I is because batters tend to attack him and then you know,
25:30they lose their wickets. Similarly with Arshdeep, when you rush him, when you attack him,
25:36then he gets those wickets. Of course, he can swing the new ball, he can swing it both ways.
25:41But it will be interesting to see how a bowler like Arshdeep prepares for the long haul,
25:45prepares for the 10 overs spell when batsmen are not looking to attack him each and every ball.
25:48They might be happy playing him for an over or two. They might concede, they might just pick
25:52singles and take four runs in the first two overs. Then how Arshdeep responds is going to be
25:56very interesting. And like you pointed out with Shami not at his 100%, I am just worried a little
26:02bit about this pace attack. If the pitches in Dubai gives you that zip that we have seen over
26:07the years, like Shaheen and Naseem will be very effective if that zip is going to be there. Even
26:12Bangladesh, they have very good battery of pace attack. So if the Indian pace attack doesn't fire,
26:18that is my only concern. The batting looks solid, the spin bowling group looks solid.
26:22If Kuldeep comes to the party, then it's going to be trouble for the opposition. But if the
26:25pace bowling unit doesn't fire, then it's going to be a problem. That's why probably I would rate
26:30this squad and their chances of winning the tournament. Semi-final probably looks like a
26:35given, although nothing is given in sport. I think India can win two or three matches. Two matches,
26:41like Bangladesh, India can. They should. They should. That's the right word. They should.
26:47Pakistan, I don't know. Pakistan, India will start as 70-30 favourites. But when you start
26:52as favourites, you know what Pakistan can do. And New Zealand have been a little bit of a trouble
26:58for us in ICC. If you keep away the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final.
27:02And the group stage. And the group stage. The rest of the matches have been a little edgy. And with
27:07all those Dubai memories coming back, it might be a little tricky. That's why I would probably give
27:11it an 8.5 or 9. Yeah, I think that is fair. I think 8.5, because there are a lot of issues
27:18that is persistent with this team at this point in time. So yeah, if we get the combinations right,
27:24then well and good. Otherwise, it's going to be a little bit of a trial and error with this team.
27:30So yeah, 8.5 is my rating as well. Sabih, you?
27:34India, I will go still go with 9. Because of the batting, I was just checking Virat Kohli
27:40stats today. And that guy averages some 90 in the Champions Trophy. Yes. And he has a score of 96
27:50the last time he played against Bangladesh. So you never know what happens. Even he played in
27:55that ODI World Cup match. He scored in the 90s. So quickly, can we also pick the MVP of each team?
28:02Like who do you think? Let's come to Bangladesh also. Sabih, MVP for Bangladesh. Whatever they
28:07do, who will be their most valuable player? Quickly. Mahmud Ulladiyat. When it comes to
28:11ICC tournaments, there is no better than someone than Mahmud Ulladiyat. He has been consistent and
28:16he is again going to step up. Alan, for you, India? Shubh Mangal.
28:20Shubh Mangal. I get reminded of the 2015 ODI World Cup when Virat was the vice captain
28:25and how he stepped up in that World Cup. Something like that should happen with Shubh Mangal if he
28:29has to properly assert his status as one of the leaders in the leadership group. So that's
28:34something. But yeah, but quickly, let's move to the hosts, Pakistan. Sabih, let's keep our
28:40assessment a little shorter and quicker because we don't want to overshoot and we are also running
28:46out of time. So we have six more teams to cover. Pakistan, quickly, good or bad? Is it going to be
28:52their tournament or not? They have an average team. While we talked about India picking too
28:56many spinners, Pakistan didn't pick any spinners. Just Abrar Ahmed. And if you want to consider
29:02Salman Ali Agha, a spin winning option. Khusdil. Khusdil, he might have done well in the BPL,
29:09but then again, you don't know how would he perform. I kind of, you know, when it comes
29:15to Pakistan, what I've seen throughout that team is that they've been trusting people based on
29:23performances elsewhere. You know, we have always pointed it out as India's problems. We have,
29:28we always say that, oh, India is picking players based on their IPL form for test cricket. Now
29:33they have picked Babar Azam to open when clearly his spot is number three. He has showed that he
29:39has an average of 60 when he's batting at number three. So you have a batter and you're saying that
29:45he performs well as an opener in T20Is. Yeah, but that format is different. Here,
29:51you're expecting that. And throughout that tri-series, I could see he was trying to get
29:56into a rhythm. He was trying to get a start and then he loses his wicket. But that is the nature
30:01of the game. You can't really blame him for all those things. But he will do it.
30:05He will do it. He said that, don't call him king. So I think that has, apart from Fakhar Zaman,
30:13I feel that team may and may be Rizwan at number four. There are a lot of people that I have
30:19question marks about. Yeah, Salman Ali Agha has stepped up. He is a very good all-round option
30:24to have, because they have lost a good all-rounder in Shadab Khan because of form and whatnot.
30:29But apart from that, you know, when it comes to their players, that is the problem that I have.
30:36You need to have a spinner. Abrarias, he has done well, but you need a proper, proper guy,
30:42a proper spinner in that mix. They had Usama Amir, they had Sufian Mukim.
30:46They could easily have picked them. They could have picked either of those two,
30:49because it is a surprise that they have brought in a lot of players and even a legend like
30:56Wasim Akram questioned it rightfully, saying, Fahim Ashraf? It was Fahim Ashraf. Yes.
31:02And I think one of those, I think it was Basit Ali who said that,
31:06Mohammad Rizwan already looks a little irritated with this squad because he is not going to Fahim
31:11Ashraf. So, all these things coming into consideration and the fact that when I saw
31:17their pace attack, minus Haris Rauf, how they performed in that tri-series was a little bit
31:22dicey. Even a guy like Shahin Shah Afridi, for all his things, was taken apart by Glenn Phillips
31:29in that last over, considered 88 runs in his 10 overs. So, this team, like Sabya said, I think
31:36it is a very, very average team. We are, everybody is saying that, oh, in Pakistan,
31:42they will perform well, but the evidence is… That is where I am coming to. I think India
31:46would have loved to play in conditions like Pakistan and Pakistan would have loved to play
31:50in UAE conditions, is what I think. Because in these pictures, from whatever, from the evidence
31:56of the ODI tri-series that recently concluded, pace, even that zip in the first few overs,
32:02are not getting. Will O'Rourke, with his height and he got those balls to bounce and all that,
32:07but Haris Rauf might do that, but we don't know. He is coming back from an injury. Shahin and
32:12Naseem couldn't get anything out from those pitches. That's my concern. They were economical,
32:17they were good, but their only way of troubling teams is picking those wickets with the new ball.
32:23Shahin Shah Afridi, Shahin Shah Afridi, when he raises his arms after getting the wicket in the
32:28first over, that's when you know Shahin is on song. But now with that threat a little bit
32:34eliminated, or I don't know, maybe they didn't bowl well against New Zealand and South Africa,
32:39but if they don't pick up wickets with the new balls, they don't have a bowling in the middle
32:43overs to trouble any team. Say if India get off to some 60 for no loss in the first 10 overs,
32:49I am sure that they will score minimum of 320-300 against Pakistan.
32:53We saw that in the Asia Cup, that match which was restarted. I think Shubman and
32:59Rohit just took them apart, got a 100 partnership and then KL and Virat came and finished them off.
33:05So that is the problem with this team. They trust too many on players to give them some moments
33:10where they can capitalize. But if those moments are not there, and these players are not getting
33:16that rhythm, I think Naseem has not been the same bowler that we faced in 2022. Same with Shahin
33:22Shahafridi as well. So that is going to be a problem for Pakistan. And this pot thing about
33:29Babar opening. Oh, that's that's the he has been thrown into the deep end. It's unnecessary.
33:34Like it's not like yeah, Saim Ayub is a huge loss. Imagine Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman opening
33:38for Pakistan. That would have been another that would have been a treat to watch. Pakistan
33:42have someone like an Imamul Haq who is technically very solid. Why not include him? Okay, it's okay
33:48after he'd scored three ducks, but why not include Imamul Haq? Or why not open with someone like
33:53Saad Shakeel, who has done who has played in that spot and then give Babar his comfortable spot.
33:58It's not like Babar was reeling off hundreds after hundreds before this tournament. And he was
34:02asked to open because of his good form. Someone who is not in good form, you should allow him to
34:06be in his position is what I think. Before the tri-series started, his stats were two matches,
34:1226 runs, and he scored 22. That was his highest. And I'm just wondering, what if Babar fails in
34:18this tournament? The criticism on the pressure on of a star batsman not performing at home is
34:24going to be huge. So it will be interesting to follow Pakistan. But quickly, your thoughts,
34:29your rating for the squad and where do you see them finish? Six. Six. And I feel they might get
34:35knocked out in the group stage. Yes. Without a semifinal. But yeah, and then we'll clip cut
34:40that clip and keep it for later. Yeah, I'll send it across to the Farid Khans and all of them.
34:45So that you know, I get trolled. Sabya, you? Let me go with 6.5. 6.5. We were very benevolent to
34:53Bangladesh giving them 4.5 that half a mark of extra. I think Pakistan can be given 6.57.
34:59Yeah, because yeah, it looks a little either other but you never know as a if they can combine well
35:05as a unit. If someone like Rizwan and Salman Haq can again put on 260. No, I think Babar
35:11has to score. Babar has to score or a Fakhar special in every match. If you it's like Fakhar
35:17or nothing. Fakhar will only play against New Zealand. He loves New Zealand. Yeah. But when
35:21it comes to... Don't forget India 2017. That is a one off match when nobody knew who Fakhar was.
35:27Even India didn't knew. Yeah, Bumrah was not. Bumrah is not there to overstep this time. So
35:32let's see. Yeah. So 6.6 from 6.5. 6 and probably 6.5 from me. And New Zealand, Sabya,
35:39do you think they are going to be there no more the underdogs? Can we say that? Yeah.
35:44The best part about New Zealand is that they don't have any kind of like playing the subcontinent
35:49comes with a lot of pressure and expectations. You have social media where people lash out even
35:53after one failure. But in New Zealand, it's very steady. It's very steady. They don't have
35:57superstars. But they have players who can come in and chip in with those small, small useful
36:03knocks or spells. And that will help them. And if you notice one thing, the best part of New
36:08Zealand is nobody considers them as some favourites to win the title. So in every
36:15tournament, they go as underdogs. But I think that's slowly changing is what I think. For me,
36:18I feel they are not given any tags. Yeah, they're not underdogs. They're not favourites. Yeah,
36:24they're just let without any pressure. They enjoyed being underdogs. But I think there's
36:29a little bit of pressure this time when expectations. That was the thing, you know,
36:33in the tri series when it happened. And when I was looking at the New Zealand team,
36:36I genuinely did not expect them to be such high scores. I think they scored 300 odd against
36:43Pakistan. The next game they chased brilliantly against South Africa with Kane Williamson
36:48scoring 100 at some pace. It depends on how Williamson plays in this tournament.
36:53The brilliant part about New Zealand is they have somehow managed to kind of retain that Kane
37:00Williamson calmness with Mitchell Sanders appointment. Mitchell Sanders seems like a
37:04very, very calm person on the field. He's good with the bat. He's good with on the field.
37:10His bowling was perfect for those Pakistan pitchers. So I feel they are a very good side.
37:18I would not be even surprised if they beat India and finish at the top of the group as well.
37:22Look at their options at the top also. Rachin Ravindra, who was unfortunately injured,
37:26might come back as in like he will probably come back in the first match itself. And they have
37:30Devon Conway, who's sitting on the bench, who probably played because of Rachin Ravindra's
37:34injury. Il Yung is there at the top. Tom Latham is the only guy who is probably not getting runs,
37:39but thanks to Pakistan, he also scored runs. And they have Darrell Mitchell in the middle order,
37:45Kane Williamson, they look solid. And if Glenn Phillips for that, you know, power hitting in
37:50the end. And that pace attack also looks good, Will O'Rourke. Not many of us know about Nathan
37:56Smith, but he's a good skiddy bowler in those conditions who might, you know, come to good use.
38:01But the only problem is whether they have attacking spinners. Like I know you can get
38:06overs of Glenn Phillips, you can get overs from Santer. Santer can give you like 35-1-10,
38:11that's assured. But can he run through a side? That is something. If again, like if they don't
38:17get wickets with a new ball, they might also end up conceding 300. But good thing is that they have
38:21the batting firepower, unlike Pakistan, to you know, chase. If it's a high scoring pitch,
38:26you can bet on New Zealand to score 330-330 and chase 320 or something. But with Pakistan,
38:32that's missing. So I think it's a solid 7.5 for them from my end. Probably 8. Yeah, same. 8.
38:408, same. 7.58.
38:42So before we go to the group, next group, so are we saying that India and New Zealand are the
38:47favourites to go to the semifinals? Yes, yes. Sure. Yeah. But do not underestimate Pakistan.
38:54Yeah, that's that's what I'm saying. That's probably India and Pakistan for me. And New
38:58Zealand somehow miss out. If they lose to India and Pakistan, I probably want an India-Pakistan
39:03final and see what happens. But before we go to the group B, we shouldn't be talking about this.
39:10But group B, Sabya, Alan, is it the group of death? Or is this the group of death?
39:17I think group B is the group of death. Because with two bogey teams like England and Australia
39:22playing there, I won't be surprised if Australia gets knocked out before the semis.
39:26But we all thought the same when they had a lean patch before the ODI World Cup. But the only
39:31problem is, I think they have lost too many players now as to injuries and availability
39:38concerns. Let's start with Australia quickly. I think the absence of Cummins, especially Stark,
39:44more than Cummins, I think Stark's expected. I think that missing out on the paste trio,
39:49then you have got Marcus Toines out. If Mitchell Mars was there, that opening with Travis Head
39:55would have been sorted. Because right now they are struggling to fit in Jake Fraser-McGurk,
40:00who has been abysmal in ODI. But they have a shot who's a good, reliable opener.
40:04Back to shot is good. But again, it depends on what kind of combination that they are going for.
40:10Are they going to slot in Jake Fraser-McGurk at number three? Or is it going to be Marnus
40:14Labuschein? Because I think Michael Clarke said that Labuschein does not make it into my team
40:19because he's very similar to Steve Smith. So they have that kind of a problem. They do not
40:24have Marcus Toines being that X factor. Glenn Maxwell has to do that job of being the support
40:32spinner alongside Adam Zampa. And the pace attack is highly inexperienced.
40:41I think Steve Smith would have hoped for a better show. I think Steve Smith himself would
40:45have been very surprised because he's a proud captain at the end of the day. He doesn't like
40:48losing. But with this lack of resources, when you have, as Nathan Ellis is a good bowler,
40:56Spencer Johnson and all them are going to be part of your first choice pace bowling lineup,
41:01then it's, I think, very difficult. Very difficult. Yeah, because we always say that
41:07whenever it's an ICC tournament, Australia always start as the favourites. But this time,
41:12it does feel like, you know, ODI World Cup also, we did not give them a lot of chance,
41:17but at the end of the day, they won the title. But that's what we were discussing. That's with
41:21people like Star Cummins in there. Yeah, but this time around, it's like they have thrown a lot of
41:27people into the deep end and they are depending on some individual brilliance from a Travis Heldt,
41:32a Glenn Maxwell. So yeah, Australia, I think probably they could get knocked out.
41:38You're rating for Australia? 5.5.
41:415.5. Sabih, are you?
41:445.
41:455. Okay, as in like, if I have to rate the squad, then probably I would also rate
41:49around 6 only. Yeah, but I don't know. I don't want to rule Australia out. Like,
41:55we have all seen that in the past. But we have also done a piece on www.IndiaToday.in saying that
42:00why this Champions Trophy might be Australia's worst ever ODI tournament. So you can go to our
42:06website and read that piece for a little more information into that. And another team who are
42:13not in good form, England, like credited for, you know, changing the way ODIs were played. But I
42:22think they're taking it a little too far ahead now. And not being and they're not able to find
42:27the balance. Sabih, Alan, what do you think England? That 3-0 defeat to India in the ODI
42:31series? Is that a smokescreen? Or is that the actual, you know, representation of their form?
42:36All the three ODIs are pretty similar to each other. England started well.
42:41Their openers gave them the platform. And then they just threw it away. England just can,
42:46any team can't afford to do that. When you have a platform, you should make sure that you get the
42:51opponent by the scuff of the necks and get them dead and dead and buried. Instead, England played
42:56those reckless shots, gave wickets to Indian bowlers, and then just threw away good starts,
43:01you just can't afford to do it. If you want to win an ICC tournament, if you want to make amends
43:06after that disastrous ODI World Cup, you have to play with your heads like how a Joe Root plays.
43:12So you have to take it a little maturely, you just can't go out there and bang, bang, bang,
43:16then one or two wickets will fall down. And I remember the first ODI, Phil Salt took over,
43:22took down Harshit Rana, 26 runs in one of the overs. But then one wicket went down and then
43:27all of them followed suit. Exactly. So that's the problem with England.
43:31Problem with England for a long period of time. I think Josh Butler has not shown his form.
43:37Harry Brook is there, but then again, he failed in subcontinent conditions. Phil Salt and
43:42Ben Duckett has shown consistency, but it is too dependent on them. And the bowling attack also,
43:48when I was just looking through their bowling attack, since the 2023 World Cup, it's their
43:54highest wicket taker has been Adil Rashid, with 13 wickets in that time, and at an average of 40.
44:02That bowling attack on paper looks so solid. You have Gus Attingson, Joffra Archer, everybody is
44:08there. Mark Wood, everybody is there. But at the end of the day, they are not consistent. They are
44:12not able to work as a unit. And I think that is a problem with this England team. They are not
44:17working as a team. And that is where when you look at it, in a star contrast, you have a Afghanistan
44:24side that works perfectly. Everybody compliments each other very well. So that is a problem with
44:30England. And that is why I think I would go on to say even in that group, I feel England could
44:35finish last. That's more of a battle between Australia and England to finish last. Is that
44:40what we are looking at? Yeah. Or we are getting it completely wrong. But from the looks of it,
44:45from recent form, I think it might be a battle between Australia and England to finish at the
44:51bottom of Group B. If I have to go with my rating for England, also, I would give them 4.5. They're
44:57a very bad team. But don't you think the personnel are good? Probably the way they play is not
45:02probably suited to the subcontinent conditions. Individually, they are a very good team. But then
45:05again, when it comes to a team, they are just not gelling together. Liam Livingstone is such
45:10an effective player. But then again, he goes out and smashes everything. So you are rating for that
45:15team? For now, it will be 4.5. I'm genuinely surprised that you guys are rating that team 4.5.
45:22I would rate it a solid 6.57 for the talent there. But probably I don't know how they will gel.
45:28How much can talent take a group forward if it is not working as a team? Of course.
45:34That Eoin Morgan team worked brilliantly because Eoin Morgan was a captain. He ensured that team
45:41was together and it worked. But Joss Butler does not seem to have that control. And all like that.
45:49I get your point. But I just hope Bass brings up a surprise. You know, in his first major
45:55assignment as the coach. Let's hope, let's see. But moving on to Afghanistan, are they going to
46:01be the dark horses? They're more than dark horses. They're more than dark horses given how they have
46:06played in the last two years. That team, if they defeat one of the big teams, it won't be called
46:12an upset. It shouldn't be called an upset. Yes. Because I went to watch that game between
46:17Afghanistan and England. And it was an absolute spectacle. But you wouldn't expect Afghanistan
46:23to turn up like that. The way they dominated a team like England. It was absolutely stupendous,
46:29brilliant. Even the bench looks solid this time, right? We are talking about someone like Siddiqui
46:34Lattle, who has done so well in SA20. But he probably might not get a spot in the XI.
46:40And someone like Noor Ahmed, who is one of the most sought out spinners,
46:45not probably in ODI so much, but in at least in, he has the potential to do well,
46:49he might not get a spot. So look at that bench strength now. And probably teams like Pakistan
46:54will be envious of that bench strength. Like if we can get a Noor Ahmed as a backup spinner,
46:58Pakistan would love to have him. What about the ODI cricketer of the year, Azmatullah Omarzai?
47:03Yes. And he might probably be that cushion that many teams lack. Like India are fortunate
47:10enough to have Harthik Pandya as their fast bowling all-rounder. In conditions like,
47:14in subcontinent conditions, where you're dicey about playing that extra fast bowler,
47:18someone like Omarzai, someone like Harthik Pandya is a huge, huge asset.
47:22Yeah. And their opening batter, Gurbaaz. Like I am so happy that he is part of KKR.
47:29800s and 46 ODIs, that is simply insane.
47:31Even scored 100 against New Zealand in the warm-up match.
47:34In the warm-up match. He's a very confident batter.
47:36He probably kind of reminds me of a young Brendan McCullum in ways, because he's attacking,
47:42but his shots are so brilliant. He's a very agile, very good wicketkeeper,
47:47and a very nice guy. So I genuinely have a love towards Gurbaaz, apart from the fact that he
47:54plays for my favourite team, KKR. But that team is so solid. Like you cannot write off Afghanistan
48:00from like beating the likes of England, Australia, and even giving a test to South Africa. Because
48:07Omarzai, I remember in the ODI World Cup, he scored 96 against South Africa. So they have
48:12experience of playing these guys. They have experience of getting big scores against these
48:16guys. So yeah, maybe.
48:17I am pleasantly surprised that none of us have mentioned Rashid Khan.
48:21Yeah.
48:21You know, he was the address for Afghanistan a few years ago.
48:24But now they have so many stars that we can afford to overlook him and then talk about
48:28someone else.
48:29Even more than Rashid Khan, I feel one man who has seen every ups and downs of Afghanistan cricket.
48:3439-year-old, young Sir Mohammed Nabi.
48:38Nabi playing an ICC tournament in Pakistan, that probably might be emotional for him as well,
48:42right?
48:42He played in that match against India in 2009, in West Indies, when Afghanistan were making
48:47that debut. He has seen everything. He has played with Noor Ali Sadran. And now he is
48:54playing with his nephew, Ibrahim. So he has seen it all.
48:58So that is what, like, that is the effect that we have had.
49:02We all agree that their bowling is, their batting is sorted. But bowling, is it good enough?
49:07Rashid Khan, Faisal Haq Farooqui, what more do you need?
49:11I think Faisal Haq Farooqui needs some support in the bowling department.
49:14They have someone like...
49:14So much I can give that.
49:15Yes, so much I can give that. They have a Farid Malik, if needed, if Afghanistan think that
49:20maybe they should focus a bit on the pace attack than spin. Farid Malik is there, Nabi Sadran is
49:26there.
49:27Will Noor play with Rashid or?
49:29I feel that in that series against Bangladesh and South Africa in Sharjah, they mostly preferred
49:34left-arm spinner Nangyalia Kharote. So Kharote also picked up a four-wicket haul and he's
49:39someone who can come lower down the order and score some useful runs. So I feel that they might...
49:44So they have the flexibility to play three spinners and three paces or three paces. So
49:49that's a good thing to have. It's a luxury that teams like India has now, when we are talking
49:55about that combination, whether they pick it right or not, that's another thing. But you have
49:59the resources.
50:00Yes, and the middle order is also very solid with Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah and the
50:05experience of Gulbadan Naib.
50:08Naib's biceps probably will be out a lot very often in this tournament.
50:14Quickly, before we move to South Africa, the last team, how do you rate Afghanistan?
50:18I might get a little emotional here. I will rate them 8.5.
50:218.5. That's the most you have given to a team, no? You rated India 9, right?
50:277.5.
50:277.5.
50:28I won't get too ahead of myself. They have to, at the end of the day, the talent has to be proven
50:33on the field. So 7.5. Good, exciting team. Wouldn't be surprised. I would be very happy
50:39if they reach the semifinals. So, yeah.
50:41As in, we shouldn't be surprised if they reach the semifinals. And like Sabih mentioned,
50:45we shouldn't call it an upset. So keep that in mind when you're writing stories.
50:48Right, absolutely.
50:49If Afghanistan beat Australia, it's like Afghanistan beats Australia.
50:54They have beaten Australia in the T20 World Cup. Knocked them out, in fact.
50:57Knocked them out. For me also, the rating is going to be around 7.58. So we all agree that
51:02they're going to be probably one of the semifinalists, right? What about South Africa,
51:06the last team that we're going to discuss? You know, they reached the semifinal of the
51:10ODI World Cup, probably couldn't do well. And then they did well in the T20 World Cup,
51:16lost by a margin, the finest of margins. You know what happened with that Surya Kumari arrow catch.
51:22And they've been doing well in ODIs. Do they have the team to push it to the semifinal or
51:26probably go all the way this time?
51:28South Africa has been a team earlier, they used to lose in semifinals. Now they are starting to
51:33get into that final zone. In men's and women's cricket, both, they're starting to get into the
51:38final. So how many of us expected South Africa to play in the WTC final after the start they had
51:44got? So South Africa is one team, again, they don't have a lot of superstars. Tagiso Rabara
51:49is there, Temba Baboma is there. But that team is, yes, but that team is more than capable of
51:56going to the semifinals. And I won't be surprised if both England and Australia get knocked out and
52:01South Africa and Afghanistan go through that group. Of course. And I think they have a very
52:06good spin attack, which we don't talk about enough. You know, when talking about South
52:10Africa, you always talk about the Rabada's, Marco Janssen's, Andrik Noyes. But if you look
52:14at their spin attack, they have a very good Keshav Maharaj, one of the few finger spinners
52:20who's attacking, who can run through sides. And Tabrez Shamsi. And Markram to support.
52:26Markram to support. Yes, they have, I think, if Temba Baboma clicks at the top,
52:30if he doesn't waste a spot in ODI cricket, he has been brilliant in tests. But if he can
52:34carry that form to ODIs and, you know, get some runs at the top, they have a solid unit. Like
52:40Sabya said, yes, we are all ruling out England and Australia because of their recent form.
52:44But if you look at what has happened over the last few months, and if you look at the teams
52:48on the paper, we would agree probably that South Africa and Afghanistan are the two teams that are
52:53going to, you know, qualify from Group B. So what's your rating for that team South Africa
52:57has in like, more than Afghanistan or less than Afghanistan? I think South Africa, I would give
53:04them 7.5 itself. I think. So you're going for a tie there? Yeah, because I think their original
53:10team was not there. I would be probably surprised that, you know, they might be thinking, is there
53:15some way they can get Matthew Breske into the lineup? Because he performed so, so well in that
53:20tri-series. So, yeah, apart from that, they've got some good, good batters. Tristan Stubbs,
53:26who has reinvented himself. Rassi Vanderdersen has always been a consistent player in ODIs.
53:32Markram, you can never write off Markram. And Andre Klaassen, same thing. So they have that
53:39thing. And VN Mulder and Corbyn Bosch, they are also slowly coming into the, you know,
53:45VN Mulder was very good in the SA20 for a supergiants team that did not click well,
53:51did not perform well. He is an X Factor guy. So yeah, they do have the thing. But now the main,
53:56I think the mental block that they have from going from, you know, being pretenders to contenders.
54:03That they have crossed that bridge, I think already. They are, I would not still say that
54:07they have crossed the bridge, they are reaching towards the end of the bridge, but sometimes they
54:11kind of find it in a bit of a wobbly bridge, you could say, and they fall off from it. But hopefully,
54:18let's see what happens because they have to still cross that final hurdle, which they have not been
54:24able to do. So your rating for South Africa? I will go with seven. Seven. Similarly, for me,
54:29around 7.5. I think they have a very good all round squad, just like as in like they have done
54:35well in the subcontinent in the past also. It is not like, oh, they have not done well in the
54:38subcontinent. It is a far cry from the teams in the past where they used to struggle against spin.
54:43With so much of IPL and PSL, all that, they are good against spin these days,
54:48and they have good spinners. So as in like, as in like quickly before we wind this
54:53Sledging Roof episode, what are your top four picks? As in like, it is probably quite evident
54:59from how we rated the teams. But quickly before we go, let us summarize it, the top four
55:03picks for the Champions Trophy. India, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan. For you,
55:08Sabih. I was about to say the same. Say the same. I was about to say the same.
55:11Let me, as in like I told you before, India, Pakistan, and England and Afghanistan for me.
55:19I want Bas to do something because, you know, it is just, it is not out of mind, but it is coming
55:25from heart. I want England to do well after the horrible run that they had in the ODI World Cup
55:30in India. We should ask our viewers and listeners also about their thoughts,
55:34about what they think, which team is the strongest and who are their top four picks
55:37for the semifinals of the Champions Trophy, which starts on Wednesday in Karachi,
55:43and it moves to Dubai the next day where India take on Bangladesh.
55:47You can send in your thoughts on 8588-966-996. If you are listening to us on Spotify and Apple
55:52Podcast, please do rate us. And like we always say, if you are watching us on YouTube,
55:56please leave your comments. We will be more than happy to learn your feedback.
56:00Thank you. Have a great week and enjoy the Champions Trophy.
56:02And also don't forget to follow the WPL, which is currently taking place.
56:06Women's cricket need that bit of support.
56:08During which, yeah.
56:09So Delhi Capitals and RCBI are playing today. Please follow the match.
56:13And check out for some lovely features from Sabyasachi, who has been, you know,
56:18writing consistently for the WPL. And we also have a special page for which the links will be given
56:23below. Thank you. Have a great week.
56:25Thank you so much.