Ahead of the opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025 between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin provided his assessments for the prestigious tournament. According to Ashwin, New Zealand and India are the top contenders, while Pakistan, despite being the host nation, and Bangladesh are considered the weakest teams.

Ashwin assigned a score of 85 out of 100 to both New Zealand and India, predicting their progression to the semi-finals from Group A, which also features Pakistan and Bangladesh. He noted that he would have rated India at 90 if fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah were available, emphasizing the significant impact of his presence.

"I'll give them 85. I would have assigned India a 90 had Bumrah been fit because the team performs differently with him included. My only concern for India is that all their matches are in Dubai. If we were to lose all three tosses and bat first, it could be challenging, as there is a notable difference between day and night conditions at this venue. If the opponents bat under lights, this 85 rating might decrease," Ashwin remarked on his YouTube channel.

He rated Pakistan at 55 points and placed Bangladesh at the bottom with a score of 40.

The rationale behind selecting New Zealand and India as the strongest teams is evident. The Kiwis prepared for the tournament effectively, clinching the Tri-Nation Series against Pakistan and South Africa.

In this series, each team faced one another before Pakistan met New Zealand in the final, with the Kiwis achieving three victories out of three matches.

Kane Williamson has displayed exceptional form, scoring a remarkable century in a successful chase against South Africa, following a fifty in the opening match against Pakistan.

In that match, Glenn Phillips made a notable impact by scoring an unbeaten 106 runs from just 74 deliveries, while Daryl Mitchell also played a crucial role by achieving two half-centuries.

In Pakistan's victory over the Proteas, both Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha reached three figures, while Matthew Breetzke made an impressive start to his international career, scoring 150 and 83 in his two innings.

Meanwhile, in India, the current ICC Men’s T20 world champions have demonstrated excellent form in their recent limited-overs matches against England.

After securing the T20 series with a 4-1 victory, they completed a clean sweep in the 50-over format, winning all three matches.

Shubman Gill emerged as the standout performer, accumulating 259 runs at an average of 86.33, which included a century in the third ODI.

In that particular game, India posted a total of 356 runs after batting first, leading to a 142-run triumph, having successfully chased down targets in the first two matches.

Shreyas Iyer also showcased his batting prowess, while Rohit Sharma's century in the second ODI was arguably the highlight of the series.

On the bowling front, Ravindra Jadeja claimed six wickets at an average of just over 10, maintaining an economy rate of 3.21, with only Adil Rashid surpassing him with seven wickets.

Group B ratings

Ashwin selected England and Australia as the semi-finalists from Group B, assigning them scores of 81 and 78, respectively. Despite England's poor performance against India, where they lost all three ODIs, Ashwin believes that the team, led by Jos Buttler, possesses the necessary qualities to compete against any leading team globally.

Notably, the 38-year-old ranked Afghanistan in fifth place with a score of 70, while South Africa, which did not qualify for the tri-series final, received a score of 68.

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