“India will defeat Australia by one run in the final” - Michael Clarke reveals his prediction for Champions Trophy

Former Australian captain and commentator Michael Clarke has predicted that Team India will come out victorious in the grand final of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against Australia by just one run in Dubai on March 9.

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Interestingly, the last time these two sides met in an ICC event was in the ODI World Cup 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, when Australia emerged victorious, handing a heartbreaking defeat to India.

Clarke has asserted that the Dubai conditions have helped the Indian spinners and their quality of batting on such wickets would make them favorites for the much-awaited grand finale.

“I think Australia will be in the final (Champions Trophy) and will be playing against India. I want Australia to win but I actually think India is going to win the Champions Trophy. They are the best and number 1 ODI team in the world at the moment. I think it will be India and Australia in the final and India will win by 1 run,” Clarke told RevSportz in an event.

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Furthermore, Clarke stated that Rohit Sharma, who got back to his original form in the recently concluded ODI series against England, would end the showpiece competition as the leading run-scorer.

“He (Rohit Sharma) is back in form, no doubt about it. The century he made in Cuttack before CT 2025, I’m certain he’s hitting the ball so well. He’s got an important role, particularly in those conditions. He’s got to play with that aggressive intent and maximize the power play. He is going to take risks, but I just think he is that good a player. I wouldn’t be surprised if India were to win the Champions Trophy and Rohit Sharma is the leading run-scorer,” Clarke added.

India’s Champions Trophy squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Australia’s Champions Trophy squad:

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Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.

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