Champions Trophy 2025 Semifinalists Predicted By Ex-India Spinner!! Betrays This Side

The former Indian spin all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has predicted the four semifinalists for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which begins on February 19 with the defending champions Pakistan locking horns with New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi.

The two divided groups will carry four teams for the tournament before the two qualified teams from each group will compete in the semifinal before the grand final on March 09.

Ravichandran Ashwin betrays Pakistan in selecting four semifinalists of the Champions Trophy 2025

Ravichandran Ashwin has picked four semifinalists for the ICC event. The Chennai-born played a massive role in India’s 2013 Champions Trophy triumph. He picked India and New Zealand from Group A to become the semifinalists from the group ahead of the home side Pakistan.

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The green brigade enjoyed a great time in the 50-over format with three successive ODI series victories in Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. But failed to show their collective performances against New Zealand in the tri-series, losing the final at the National Stadium in Karachi.

From the second group, Ashwin went with the defending champions of the ODI World Cup Australia and England, as the two semifinalists of the tournament. The Steve Smith-led side has received a huge blow for the event, with several players getting injured while Marcus Stoinis announced his retirement from the 50-over format.

Australia lost their recent ODI series in Sri Lanka, just before the eight-team event, as their batters could hardly stand up before the spinners. England, on the other side, had a poor outing in India with the 3-0 clean sweep defeat, as they crumbled in both the batting and bowling departments.

Ravichandran Ashwin rates participating teams for the Champions Trophy

Apart from the semifinal picks, Ashwin has also graded all eight participating teams on a scale of 100 based on their team strength and balance for the Champions Trophy. He rates the Rohit Sharma and Mitchell Santer-led sides as the top two teams for the tournament with grades of 85/100 each.

Ashwin keeps the Jos Buttler-led side in the ranking with a score of 81, while the Australian stays at the bottom among the four sides with a score of 78. He also highlights that Afghanistan and South Africa would be in fifth and sixth place, with scores of 70 and 68 out of 100.

Pakistan stays at the penultimate position for the Tamil Nadu spinner with a score of 50, as Bangladesh finishes at the bottom of the list with a score of 40 out of 100. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side didn’t enjoy their performance in the recent tri-series before the Champions Trophy.

Ex-India spinner acknowledges Jasprit Bumrah's absence before the ICC mega event

Ashwin explained that veteran pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s absence has dropped the blue brigade’s overall score for the 2025 Champions Trophy from 90 to 85. Bumrah sustained a back injury during the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 to be ruled out of the eight-team event.

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"I'll give them 85. I would give India a 90 had Bumrah been there because India is completely different with him in the mix. The only concern for India, in my view, is that all their games are in Dubai.” Ashwin expressed this in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

“Let's say we lose all three tosses and are put into bat first because it's chalk and cheese between day and night at this venue. So if opponents bat under lights, this 85 might start dropping.” The former spinner added.

India will begin their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.