The Champions Trophy 2025 is only two weeks away. Alongside the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy is one of the most prestigious ICC limited-overs events in world cricket. Australia, being the reigning ODI World Cup champions, will be hot favourites to lift the Champions Trophy 2025 title along with India, the defending T20 World Cup champions. Though India will play its matches in Dubai, while the other matches will be played in Pakistan, a team like Australia can never be counted out.
Ahead of the Champions Trophy, Australia captain Pat Cummins has thrown a direct challenge to rivals in a TV commercial. In the advertisement, promoting Champions Trophy, Cummins can be seen practicing sledging in front of camera. And, he targets the likes of Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Virat Kohli with the following lines.
“Oi Ben, I am not stokes about you”
“Hey Pope, you better start praying.”
“Hey Kohli, I have never seen you bat this slowly.”
“More Like Quinton de Block. I am Pat Cummins for you. Get mean.”
Pat Cummins showing no mercy
— . (@was_abdur) February 4, 2025
Pat Cummins trolling all great cricketers around the globe in Champions Trophy 2025 advertisement.
Oh Kohli you bat so slowly #ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/5cnnkRzq6W— Mustafa (@mustafamasood0) February 4, 2025
Pat Cummins can play villan so easily in any of the bond movies.
Look at his eyes
There is whole Villian arc which is left to explore post his retirement from cricket …pic.twitter.com/yL5iFPgh6N— Raazi (@Crick_logist) February 4, 2025
Meanwhile, India vice-captain Shubman Gill on Tuesday set the tone for the upcoming ODI series against England and said that the Men in Blue are not taking it as a practice for the Champions Trophy 2025.
India will take on England for the first ODI match of the series at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday.
The second ODI match between India and England will be played at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium on Sunday. Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium will host the third and final match of the 50-over series on February 12.
India’s squad for the three-match ODI match series remains the same as that for the ICC Champions Trophy, with one change–Harshit Rana replacing Jasprit Bumrah.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Shubman Gill hailed the Three Lions and said that they are going to play against a “good side” in the upcoming ODI series. He added that the ODIs against England are “very important” for them.
“I think we are playing against a good side. Three ODIs and we are not taking this as a practice for the Champions Trophy. I think this is a very important series for us. Every series is very important and we are looking to dominate and win this series like any other series,” Gill told reporters.
With ANI inputs