Stage is set for the Champions Trophy, famously known as the ‘Mini World Cup’ (this is different from ICC World Cup which is held once every four years) which begins at The Oval in London tomorrow. The inaugural match will feature England taking on Bangladesh, who lost miserably to India in one of its practice matches yesterday. All eyes will be on the Indian team, the defending champions, who won the tournament in 2013 defeating England. Time has past since then with Virat Kohli taking over the reins of the young Indian team. However, the experience of former skipper M.S. Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh will be of great help for Kohli, who is leading the side for the first time in a major tournament. India, having won both its practice matches against New Zealand and Bangladesh, has a fair chance of defending the title. Speaking to Star of Mysore, former Indian player Vijay Bharadwaj said, “India has a good chance of winning the tournament. But, defending the title will not be easy as England is posing threat and South Africa is unpredictable. There is 90 per cent chance of India emerging victorious. Only thing is that the team should stay focused throughout.” There is also the strong looking Australian team which has won the tournament twice (2006-07 and 2009-10). The Steve Smith led side will be eyeing to repeat the previous feat. Meanwhile, India’s campaign in the tournament starts against its arch rival Pakistan on June 4. Later the team will also play against Sri Lanka and South Africa on June 8 and June 11 respectively. This is probably the first time the tournament, which is in its eighth edition, will not feature West Indies as it was not ranked among the top eight teams in the ICC rankings. The will end on June 18 with the finals being played at The Oval.
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