Why and How a Tour of India is the Best Prep for the Champions Trophy

Brodie Hollinworth | 1:00am GMT 09 February 2025

2025 will witness the 9th edition of the ICC Champions Trophy. It’s one of cricket’s greatest competitions, in which the top eight one-day teams come together and clash to call themselves the best of the lot. There are many ways that teams can prepare for an event like this, but one of the very best methods is, of course, an India tour.

This article looks at the benefits that can come with an India tour before the Champions Trophy, and some real examples of teams that have gone on to perform well after such a tour.

Importance of the India tour in preparation for the Champions Trophy 

First, let’s see what it is that sets an India tour apart from so many other training and Champion Trophy preparation options. We’ll explore the unique advantages of this type of tour in the sections below, and see what teams can gather from battling it out with the joint most successful Champion Trophy team.

Cricket is a game where you have to adapt to the conditions of the pitch, the heat, the humidity, and the weather. Playing a game in India in summer, for example, is totally different to playing on a wet and windy day in England. This is something that fans and cricket gamblers also have to think about when placing cricket bets on platforms like MostBet.

Competitive conditions and high-intensity matches 

It’s no secret that cricket is the national sport of India. It’s hugely popular here, and the Indian national team, throughout history, has been one of the strongest in the world. You only have to look at how many times India won the Champions Trophy, the Cricket World Cup, and other top competitions to see just how great they are.

Being in this country and playing in Indian stadiums, with the big crowds and the intense atmosphere, is an experience that is 100% unique in the world of cricket. The Indian team is always competitive, always eager to win. Playing them in any format of the game, be it Test or T20, will always result in a thrilling and fun matchup.

Exposure to world-class bowling and batting attacks 

India has historically been a really balanced team, equally adept with both the bat and the ball. They’ve had some of the world’s greatest ever batsmen. Think of names like Tendulkar, Sharma, Kohli, and Ganguly, as just a few examples. They’ve had legendary bowlers, as well. Think of Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, and Kapil Dev, for instance.

So, when teams tour India and come up against this tea

Learning to adapt to different pitch and weather conditions

A great thing about doing a tour of India is that it can help teams practice and play on a wide range of pitches, from dry and dusty ones to lively, bouncy, green ones. The conditions can also vary far and wide across the land, as India is such a vast nation. This is super prep for a tournament like the ICC Champions Trophy, where conditions mix up from game to game.

Key takeaways from the India tour 

Next, let’s think about what teams can actually learn from doing a tour like this and battling against the Indian national side. We’ll explore some of the lessons that such teams can take out of the experience and the tangible benefits to their play.

Tactical improvements and team strategies 

Obviously, a great outcome of doing a tour of India is that it lets teams practice some different strategies and tactics. It’s only by playing the best teams, like India, that you can really understand how good your tactics are, and whether or not they might need a bit of fine-tuning prior to the tournament.

Teams might come to India and try to play an aggressive style, for example, attacking as many balls as possible in the hopes of racking up a big score in minimal time. Or they might play a bit more defensive and cautious. They can test that against India’s fantastic bowlers and batters and see how well their tactics fare.

Player form and individual performances 

Often, a big issue prior to tournaments like the Champions Trophy is team selection. Many nations have dozens of great players that are up for consideration when tournaments like this come along. But you can only pick 15 players for the final squad. Doing a tour is a good way to let players have a moment in the spotlight and see what they can do.

It’s especially good to test aspiring or younger players against highly-skilled players, like those of the Indian side. This can let coaches and selectors see if those players are actually ready to head into a high-pressure tournament or if they need a bit more time, with more experienced players taking their spots.

Strengths and weaknesses identified before the Champions Trophy

Another great thing about doing a tour of India is that it can let teams see where their strengths and weaknesses are. As an example, let’s say a team plays a few tests and some one-day games in India as part of their tour. They find that they perform well in the slower-paced test games but note that they’re often undone in the shorter games by India’s bowlers.

That could indicate that they have strength in more patient and cautious play, but need to work on the defensive side of their game in short-form play. So, they can then adjust their training regimens accordingly, or consider switching up tactics or even team selections to compensate for their weaknesses during the tournament.

How playing against India benefits teams ahead of a global tournament 

Often, the best time to challenge a team is before a big tournament. It helps to get them in the mood and spirit needed when the big games come, but there are two options here. Some teams prefer to have relatively easy warm-up matches before a tournament to build confidence. Others opt to challenge themselves against the toughest teams, like India. Here are some benefits of doing so.

Handling pressure in high-stakes games 

If you ask any cricket fan to discuss ‘my favourite game cricket’, a lot of them will likely mention games that are high-pressure, intense, and involving the biggest and best players. Indeed, many of the most-watched cricket games ever are ones that India has been a part of that, because they’re so intense and exciting.

Playing India, therefore, is a super way for teams to familiarize themselves with that kind of high-pressure, high-stakes sort of environment. They’ll be surrounded by roaring crowds of Indian fans and forced to play their best cricket to come out with a win. What better way could there be to get ready for a tournament?

Adjusting to different playing styles and game plans 

One of the things that has made India so successful over the years is the team’s versatility. They’re never afraid to shake things up. They’ve had legendary captains over the years who are able to adjust their fielding positions and tactics to suit every possible situation. And they always find ways to catch their opponents off-guard and by surprise.

So, playing against India is almost like playing against lots of different teams in one. It’s an amazing way for teams to get used to playing against different styles and game plans. This can help them with their own adaptability and capacities to adjust their strategies and tactics to suit different conditions. 

Boosting confidence through challenging encounters

As touched on earlier, teams might prefer to schedule games against low-ranked, weaker opponents before a tournament. This can help them build confidence as they’ll probably enjoy a few easy victories. The batters will get a lot of runs and the bowlers take a lot of wickets. But they’ll get brought back to earth when they enter the tournament and play better teams.

That’s why it’s actually better to go up against a much stronger side, like India, and have some hard-fought games. Even if the team ends up losing a couple of those games, they’ll still learn more from them and get more out of them. And if they can get a couple of wins against India, they’ll have a huge confidence boost for the tournament.

Historical impact of India tours on Champions Trophy performance 

It’s all well and good talking about the benefits of playing an India tour before a tournament like the Champion Trophy. But it’s better to actually look at real-life examples of teams that did this and then had good tournament displays. Here are some examples of this in the next few sections.

Teams that improved after a tough series in India

• England: India famously won the 2013 Champion Trophy, but England came second. The English had done a 2012-13 India tour before the tournament. They won a Test series in India, drew a T20 series, and narrowly lost a one-day series during that tour. This really helped them familiarize themselves with India’s batting and bowling style.
• Australia: Australia did an India tour from 2008 and into 2009 for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They played some test matches and lost the series, but learned a lot about India’s batters and bowlers and style of play. They used that to refine their tactics and then won the 2009 ICC Trophy.
• West Indies: The Windies toured India in 2002. They had a three match test series, which they lost convincingly, and a set of seven one-day games, winning four and losing three. This gave them loads of information and confidence to take into the 2004 Champions Trophy, which they won. 

Success stories of players who peaked after playing in India

There are loads of players who have learned a lot and improved their games hugely after tours of India. Some examples of this include:

• West Indians, like Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ian Bradshaw.
• Australians, like Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson, and Kyle Mills.
• English players, like Jonathan Trott, James Anderson, and Eoin Morgan.

Tactical lessons learned from past India tours

A lot of the example teams listed above learned big lessons from their tours of India. England, for example, found that they needed to adjust their fielding strategies more regularly from over to over to try and catch teams off guard, while the Aussies and Windies made team selection changes after touring India and mixed up their bowling lengths and lines to surprise opponents.

Expectations from teams participating in the Champions Trophy 

To finish up, we’ll take a look at how teams are building up for the next big Champions Trophy, with a highlight on those that have done recent tours of India or are planning an India tour before the event.

Tactical adjustments based on India tour experiences 

We’ve seen several big teams, like England and Australia, touring India recently before the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is, of course, set to be held on Indian soil. Many of these teams will be making notable tactical adjustments based on their time in India, which could include adjustments like:

• Increased focus on endurance and strength training to cope with the Indian pitches and conditions
• More complex fielding positions and strategies to switch things up when coming against different opponents
• Working on developing more balanced lineups with a mix of fast and spin bowlers and aggressive plus conservative batsmen

Players to watch after their performances in India 

Players who have recently performed well in India and are likely to appear at the ICC Champions Trophy include:

• Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat
• Australia: Sean Abbott and Glenn Maxwell
• Bangladesh: Rishad Hossain and Towhid Hridoy
• England: Jamie Overton and Harry Brook

Final preparations leading into the tournament

New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, Australia, and Afghanistan are five of the ICC Champions Trophy contenders that have all done tours of India between 2023 and 2025, building up to the big event. Many will be leaning on the lessons they learned during those tours to figure out their best strategies when the tournament begins, and it’ll be fascinating to see if any of these teams can topple the hosts on their own turf.