No Champions Trophy warm-up matches for India, Australia and Pakistan

After securing a dominant 3-0 ODI series victory over England, Rohit Sharma-led India has opted out of warm-up matches ahead of the Champions Trophy. Australia has taken a similar approach, while co-hosts Pakistan have lined up multiple warm-up fixtures before the tournament.

India’s campaign begins on February 20 against Bangladesh, and the team believes their recent series against England provides enough preparation. As per PTI, the Indian squad will arrive in Dubai, where they will be playing all of their Champions Trophy fixtures, on February 15, focusing solely on internal training sessions rather than competitive warm-ups, with their learning from the England series win as the sole guiding factor.

India have only played a total of 6 ODIs in the last 6 months, with 3 against Sri Lanka in August 2024 and 3 in the recently concluded series against England. While the Sri Lanka series ended in a 0-2 defeat for Rohit Sharma's India, the England series seems to have corrected the wrongs for now.