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The 2025 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will be played from February 19 to March 9 in three venues across Pakistan and one in Dubai.
Aakash Chopra picks Hardik Pandya as India’s most valuable player for Champions Trophy. (Picture Credit: Sportzpics, Screengrab)
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra, who has now donned the hat of an expert and commentator, has ignored Jasprit Bumrah and instead picked 31-year-old star all-rounder Hardik Pandya as India’s most valuable player for the ICC Champions Trophy. The 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy is set to be played from February 19 to March 9. Due to tense political relations between India and Pakistan, India will not travel to Pakistan for the tournament and instead will play its matches in Dubai.
Hardik, who last played a 50-over match for India in the ODI World Cup 2023 against Bangladesh at MCA Stadium in Pune on October 19, 2023, was named in India’s squad for the eight-team tournament on Saturday.
Speaking in a video uploaded by Star Sports on Sunday, Aakash highlighted Hardik’s importance as a fast-bowling all-rounder and said at present, Hardik is India’s most valuable player.
“See, in this team, at this point in time, if you ask me a question, who is the most important player in this team? Who is your most valuable player? Before Bumrah, I’ll take Hardik Pandya’s name. Because if Hardik Pandya is not in this team, for whatever reason, you can’t play well with 11 players in your team. Because if you play only two fast bowlers suddenly, then you play three fast bowlers, and (when) you play two spinners with three fast bowlers, your batting becomes small. Hardik Pandya is the only guy who is a fast-bowling all-rounder. And I think we’ll need a fast bowling all-rounder here (Dubai),” Chopra said.
Hardik was part of the Indian team that played in the last edition of the ICC Champions Trophy as well. He top-scored for India in the final of that tournament, which was played against Pakistan at The Oval on June 18, 2017. But despite his attacking knock of 76 runs from 43 balls as a No. 7 batter, India failed to get the better of Men in Green and instead lost the match by 180 runs.
Before taking the field for India in the Champions Trophy, Hardik will play in the five-match T20I series against England, which starts on January 22 in Kolkata, and three ODIs.
