Former Australian ODIs World Cup-winning team captain Michael Clarke has supported Indian men’s cricket captain Rohit Sharma to finish as the leading scorer in the Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament’s 10th edition is set to take place on February 19 through March 9, across three venues in Pakistan and one in Dubai. Clarke, who was part of the Australian team that won the Champions Trophy title in 2006, said that India would win the tournament and Men in Blue captain Rohit would top the run-getters list.
Rohit, who was severely short of form during the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, hammer scored 119 runs off 90 balls against England in the second ODI of the recently concluded three-match series on February 9.
“I am going to say India is going to win (Champions Trophy). I would go with their captain, who is back in form. I am going to say Rohit Sharma would be the leading run scorer in the tournament. It’s good to see him making runs again. For sure India needs him,” Clarke said in the latest episode of Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
Rohit, who had led the Indian squad to the T20 World Cup last year, has played 10 matches in the Champions Trophy so far, aided by one century and four fifties, has started off with 481 runs.
Clarke also predicted the leading wicket-taker and Player of the Tournament for Champions Trophy 2025.
“I want to go to Jofra Archer—the highest wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup. I know England and don’t expect much from them, but I do reckon he’s a superstar. Jofra is going to be hard to play. So, I’m going to go for him as my leading wicket-taker.”
“I’ll go with Travis Head. Travis Head’s been in fantastic form: he had tremendous form in the IPL; he had phenomenal form over Aussie Test summer; and he had a little lay-off in Sri Lanka. He’s good to go again. Therefore, I’ll say Travis Head would be the Player of the Tournament, assuming Australia loses the final. He is so full of confidence-that is what you need-and he is an underrated bowler. He can bowl a lot more. “