Their respective teams may not have ideal buildup to the Champions Trophy 2025 but Eoin Morgan and Shane Watson are hopeful that England and Australia would do well in the event while picking India as the top favourite. England, under a new coach in Brandon McCullum, were hammered by India in both the T20I and ODI series while Australia have been besieged by injuries losing four top players — Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Starc — to injuries while Marcus Stoinis has announced a sudden retirement from the national team.
Australia also lost 0-2 to Sri Lanka in the ODI series preceding the Champions Trophy.
Despite this, Morgan and Watson rooted for their respective national teams while picking India as the absolute favourite and listing Pakistan as the dark horse in the eight-team tournament that started on Wednesday with a clash between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi.
Morgan, who led England to their greatest performance in One-day cricket, the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup title, listed India as the top favourite considering their recent dominant run in the 2023 ODI World Cup at home where they reached the final unbeaten and triumphed in the T20 World Cup in Caribbean and USA.
“The side that’s the frontrunner, best positioned across the squads I would say in India, out and out favourites, I can’t really pick any holes in their side. And I know that’s been the case the last couple of tournaments they’ve gone into,” said Morgan.
India and Pakistan along with Bangladesh and New Zealand are in Group A while Group B has Australia, England, South Africa and Afghanistan.
Morgan highlighted that India had a dominant run in the 2023 ODI World Cup till the final and also won the T20 World Cup.
“Then the T20 World Cup where they robbed the trophy out of South Africans’ hands. And you have to still believe that winning trophies and tasting champagne brings confidence because once you’ve been there, you can believe that you can do it again. So that’s why India are the favourites.
“As far as outsiders are concerned, I will never rule Pakistan out of it. Home conditions will favour them and I would say England are an outside chance as well. They’ve been in not in great form for a period of time and Brendon McCullum has just taken over and in a short space of time, it’s hard to achieve anything.
“They have their first match with Australia on Saturday who are a side without a number of stars like Cummins and Marcus Stoinis was recently retired as well.
“So I’d imagine whoever among those two sides wins, will be there. I think England could go on a bit of a ride, but I’m excited,” said Morgan.
For Watson, the abiding memory of the Champions Trophy was playing in the 2002 edition when they lost to hosts Sri Lanka in the semifinals.
“When it comes to the favourites in this edition, it has to be India. You know, they’ve been bolstered by the presence of Hardik Pandya coming in as a fast-bowling all-rounder. Unfortunately, they don’t have (Jasprit) Bumrah, but it’s just about the identical squad to what they had at the last One-day World Cup where they dominated until the final,” said Watson.
He said he was very confident about the chances of the Australian team.
“I’m very confident about the Aussies, their battings is very, very strong. Their bowling, there’s going to be a few question marks around that. But they certainly know how to be able to turn up in big tournaments. So, don’t be surprised if Australia aren’t there and thereabouts,” the former Aussie all-rounder added.
The Champions Trophy started in Karachi on Wednesday with Pakistan taking on New Zealand. India will open their campaign against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday.
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