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India face heat for ‘chopping and changing’ after Asia Cup failure

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DUBAI: Rohit Sharma’s India have been slammed for “chopping and changing” as they failed to make the final of the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament with a game to go.

Pakistan’s win over Afghanistan on Wednesday knocked out India from the tournament, which was a warm-up for next month’s T20 World Cup.

India, who won the previous Asia Cup in 2018 and played in a 50-over format, came in as pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two Super Four matches to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“I think there was too much chopping and changing done after just one defeat,” former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel told the website cricbuzz.

“We lost against Pakistan and made three-four changes.”

India’s tinkering was not confined to the latter stages: Dinesh Karthik had been the wicketkeeper for India’s opening win against Pakistan, but Rishabh Pant was brought back behind the stumps for the next match.

Karthik, a hard-hitting batsman who specialises as a finisher in the short format, missed both Super Four matches as the left-handed Pant was retained in the middle-order.

“The consistency and the clarity of thought is so important, especially when you play this T20 format,” said Patel.

“Dinesh Karthik came in and he was left (out). Rishabh Pant came in and would be thinking whether I am a permanent member of the team or not.”

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar blamed an inability to be flexible with onfield plans for India’s disappointing results.

“Too much theory … is not a very good thing. What happens on the field is completely different,” Gavaskar told India Today.

“You have to have a Plan A, B and C, which is where the Indian team in this particular tournament has not had alternate plans.

“They seem to have been stymied when things started to unravel for them.

“Cricket is a game that changes in seconds, particularly the T20 format, and you’ve got to be ready for it.”

Shami sidelined

India can start to put things right when they play Afghanistan in a dead rubber Super Four Asia Cup match in Dubai on Thursday.

They will have home series against Australia and South Africa to cement their team plans before the T20 World Cup begins on October 16 in Australia.

India’s lone T20 World Cup success came at the inaugural tournament in 2007, and Gavaskar implored the team to “please see the areas where you can improve and plug those gaps”.

India remain top of the T20 team rankings but have constantly faltered at global international tournaments with their last International Cricket Council title coming at the 2013 Champions Trophy.

India failed to make the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and in 2019 lost in the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup in England.

But captain Rohit played down his team’s Asia Cup failure after they lost a close match to Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

“In tournaments like the World Cup, Asia Cup, here the challenge is you face different teams with different plans,” said Rohit.

“But we should not think about it too much. Yes, pressure is there, and our work is to make the boys realise how to deliver in pressure situations.”

Former coach Ravi Shastri criticised the team choices and remained puzzled by the exclusion of veteran pace bowler Mohammed Shami.

“I am completely amazed to see how Mohammed Shami has been sidelined by the current Indian team management and the selectors,” Shastri said on Star Sports.

Injuries to pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel made India turn to Avesh Khan, who fell sick in Dubai and was unavailable for selection in the last two matches.

“The Indian bowling hasn’t looked that effective in this year’s Asia Cup,” said Shastri.

“And a veteran like Shami should have certainly made it to the squad.”

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Tickets for the Pakistan-India match were sold out in a matter of minutes.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) reports that tickets for the much awaited Pakistan-India encounter in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is set to take place in Dubai, were sold out in a matter of minutes.

The tremendous demand for the Pakistan-India match underscores the fierce rivalry and excitement surrounding the tournament, even though tickets for the semi-finals are currently on sale.

Pavilion-specific ticket prices ranged from 500 AED for regular pavilion tickets to 1,200 AED to 5,000 AED for premium seats. The price of the elite Grand Lounge VIP packages was 12,500 AED, or roughly PKR 500,000.

On Tuesday, tickets will also go on sale for India’s first semi-final in Dubai as well as their final two group matches. Tickets for general stands are available for purchase online  with prices for general stands starting at 125 AED.

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ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Today marks the start of the second phase of ticket sales.

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Today marks the start of the second phase of the ICC Champions Trophy ticket sale.
Tickets for the opening match of mega event between Pakistan and New Zealand already sold out in the first Phase.
Following the Online sale of Tickets Last week, Physical Tickets for the Eight-Team competition will go on sale from Today.
Tickets for Matches in Pakistan including Group Stage Fixtures and the second Semi-Final will be Available at 108 Outlets of courier Service across the Country.
The Physical Tickets will be available to fans in 26 Cities of Pakistan.

For the ten matches that will be held in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, general stand tickets will start at 1,000 Pakistan Rupees, while premium seats in various categories will start at 1,500 Pakistan Rupees.
Tickets for the India matches scheduled for February 20 and 23 and March 2 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will be made available as soon as possible.

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Will the Champions Trophy 2025 miss an opening ceremony?

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The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 may commence without the traditional opening ceremony or captains’ press conference due to a modified arrival schedule for the participating teams.

This year, the England and Australia cricket teams will arrive in Pakistan nearer to the commencement of the event.

Sources inside the International Cricket Council (ICC) have verified that teams, including England and Australia, will arrive in Pakistan following their separate tours.

England is set to complete its tour of India by February 12, but Australia will conclude their series in Sri Lanka on February 14.

Consequently, both teams have retracted from the warm-up matches, a decision aligned with prior ICC events, where tardy attendance hindered practice matches.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) indicated interest in staging an opening ceremony; but, logistical issues related to the teams’ arrival dates resulted in its postponement.

The PCB stated that although the occurrence was not officially verified, it has consistently been regarded as a potentiality.

Although the opening ceremony and press conference have been cancelled, the PCB is dedicated to organising an alternative event to commemorate the importance of hosting the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time in 29 years.

The inaugural match of the tournament, featuring Pakistan and New Zealand, is set for February 19 in Karachi.

The PCB has stated that a celebration for fans will be organized ahead of the match to highlight the excitement surrounding the event.

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