"If they perform well...": Raina feels Virat, Rohit's form will benefit India at Champions Trophy 2025

New Delhi [India], February 4 (ANI): Former cricketer Suresh Raina on Tuesday said that if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma perform well in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 then it will benefit India.
The eight-team tournament will feature 15 matches and will be played across Pakistan and Dubai. The Rohit Sharma-led side will play all their matches in Dubai.
Speaking exclusively on Star Sports, Raina said that Rohit's strike rate improved significantly after the ODI World Cup 2023. He added that Virat and Rohit's strong records in the past will give them confidence.
"Rohit Sharma's strike rate has improved significantly after the ODI World Cup in 2023. Since then, he has scored runs at a strike rate of 119-120, making him one of India's best ODI batsmen. For Rohit and Virat, I would say that when you have a strong record of past performances, it gives you a lot of confidence. They complement each other well, and both have the skill to score big runs. If they perform well, India's ICC Men's Champions Trophy campaign will benefit immensely," Raina was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying.
The ICC Champions Trophy from February 19 to March 9 will be hosted by Pakistan and UAE, with India playing its matches in UAE under a hybrid model.
The biggest match of the ICC tournament between two arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be played on February 23. India will start its campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. India's last league match will be against New Zealand on March 2.
India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
Meanwhile, India will square off against England in three ODI series beginning in Nagpur on Thursday. The 50-over action will then move to Cuttack on Sunday and the series will conclude on February 12 in Ahmedabad. (ANI)