2017 ICC Champions Trophy: India Will Win Against Pakistan – Michael Vaughan
Nov 2, 2023 at 3:37 PM
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has backed Team India to defend their Champions Trophy title by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the high-octane final on Sunday (June 18).
Widely touted as the favourites to lift the coveted trophy, the Men in Blue will walk into the summit clash on the back of some really impressive performances. Right from the first warm-up game when they made light work of New Zealand to the semifinal where they were at their fluent best, beating Bangladesh by nine wickets, the two-time Champions Trophy winners have lived up to the expectations so far. Barring the upset against Sri Lanka, where the reigning Champions lost the match despite posting a massive 321, Virat Kohli & Co. have displayed a brilliant brand of cricket and have emerged as the team to beat in the eight-team tournament.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s story is more of a comeback in this tournament. The Men in Green had begun their campaign on the worst losing note, going down to arch-rivals India by a whopping 124 runs. The demoralising defeat was enough to derail their campaign but instead of being bogged down by it, the Sarfraz Ahmed-led side made a brilliant comeback, defeating South Africa, Sri Lanka, and hosts England to make it to their maiden Champions Trophy final and their first of any 50-over ICC event since 1992.
Pakistan’s late resurgence and the way they outclassed pre-tournament favourites England in the semifinal has convinced many that they will pose a serious challenge for India and Michael Vaughan is no different. However, the former batsman, while admitting that the final would be a cracker, backed India to come out on the top.
“Night All .. Time to get some shut eye before tomorrow’s #PAKvIND .. Going to be a belter .. But India will win … #CT17”
Night All .. Time to get some shut eye before tomorrow's #PAKvIND .. Going to be a belter .. But India will win … #CT17
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 17, 2017