India has been placed in Group B for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, alongside Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The Champions will begin June 1st in the UK.
Headed by Captain Virat Kohli, the arch rivals will go head to head on June 4th. Before that though, India will play New Zealand on May 28 and Bangladesh on May 30th at the Kennington Oval.
After that, they battle fierce rival Pakistan in the hopes to advance to the semifinal where they will face off against the top two teams of Group A: either Australia, England, New Zealand or Bangladesh.
Brummies everywhere revelled after Pakistan revealed they would conduct a one-week long training camp in late May in Birmingham. The pressure is on to remain in the top eight if they want any chance of qualifying for the 2019 World Cup, also being hosted in the UK. The decision to train in Birmingham, UK, could be strategic, as a way to help the players acclimatise to England. Mohammad hafeez, Umar Akmal, Imad Waseem, Shoaib Malik, Junaid Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Fahim Ashraf will report to the National Cricket Academy on May 15 before being joined by the rest of their team mates.
In the last 8-10 years, there has been a massive difference in the quality between India and Pakistan and that has been one of the major reasons why India have continued to dominate
Former captain Inzamam-ul-Huq said “The 10-day camp in Birmingham will be an opportunity for the team to regroup after a break. The boys will get the opportunity to adjust to the weather as well.
“Playing in English conditions has always proven tough for us, but I am optimistic that we will be able to do well there. I am planning to visit the side during the camp as well since I would be unable to go for the event due to Ramazan.”
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly has said he is confident India will win the highly anticipated face off. He said, “India will beat Pakistan again in Champions Trophy. In the last 8-10 years, there has been a massive difference in the quality between India and Pakistan and that has been one of the major reasons why India have continued to dominate. I believe India will do it again in the Champions Trophy in Birmingham on June 4th.”
