Knowledge Nugget: India win ICC Champions Trophy 2025 — What should you take note of for your UPSC exam?

Key Takeaways :

1. The tournament was originally called the ICC Knockout when it began in 1998 in Dhaka (Bangladesh). It was renamed the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 and was held every two years until 2009. After that, the event transitioned to a four-year cycle.

2. The  ICC Champions Trophy 2025 kicked off at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19, with Pakistan taking on New Zealand. India, who were the runners-up from 2017 and two-time winners, played their first game on February 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai.

3. Tournament format: The format of the competition has endured since 2006. The eight teams are divided into two groups of four teams each. Each team plays once against every other team in the group. And then, the top-two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals, determining the two that feature in the summit clash.

4. Teams that played: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand were in Group A while the remaining four teams — Australia, Afghanistan, England, South Africa — were in group B.

How were the 8 teams Picked? What made this year’s selection different?

Previously the top-eight ranked ODI sides would feature in the Champions Trophy. But for the 2025 edition, the qualification used the results of the 2023 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The teams that occupied the top-eight spots in the 10-team points table, including the hosts Pakistan, sealed their place for the Champions Trophy.

Prize money

The eight teams at this year’s Champions Trophy competed for $2.24 million. The runners-up received $1.12 million, while each losing semi-finalist took home $560,000. The total prize pool had increased by 53 percent from the 2017 edition, reaching $6.9 million.

FYI: From Sports to Physics — Bernoulli Principle

(UPSC often tests conceptual clarity through real-life examples, making cricket ball swing is a relevant and engaging illustration of aerodynamics.)

1. One of the important highlight of the Champions Trophy 2025 was the Indian pacer Mohammad Shami’s  appeal to the ICC to lift the ban on using saliva to shine cricket balls that was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2. Since 2011, two balls have been used per innings in ODIs. This means that balls are not as scuffed up as they used to be. Add to this the prohibition on using saliva, generating reverse swing has gotten much more difficult.“We are trying to reverse, but you are not getting the use of saliva into the game,” Shami told reporters in Dubai. In this context, it becomes essential to understand Bernoulli Principle.

3. Bernoulli’s principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid leads to a decrease in its pressure. This fundamental concept in fluid dynamics is key to understanding the aerodynamics of a swinging cricket ball.

4. Swing in cricket refers to the lateral movement of the ball in the air before it pitches, caused by a pressure difference on either side. When a bowler releases the ball, a thin layer of air—called the boundary layer—forms along its surface. The point where this boundary layer separates from the ball determines the pressure distribution on either side.

5. In conventional swing, bowlers tilt the seam in one direction. The raised seam disrupts airflow on that side, creating turbulence. This turbulent airflow sticks to the ball’s surface for longer and moves faster than the smoother, laminar airflow on the other side.

6. According to Bernoulli’s principle, the faster-moving air on the seam side leads to lower pressure, causing the ball to swing in that direction. If the seam is perfectly aligned with the ball’s motion, the airflow remains symmetrical, and no swing occurs.

7. As the ball gets older, one side becomes rougher while players maintain the shine on the other. This alters airflow behavior. Bowlers further enhance reverse swing by ensuring the shiny side is slightly heavier, which naturally pulls the ball in that direction. Cricketers traditionally used saliva to polish the ball, enhancing the contrast between the two sides to aid reverse swing.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Duckworth-Lewis method (DLS)

1. Statistician Frank Duckworth, who co-created the Duckworth-Lewis method with Tony Lewis, passed away on June 21, 2024. This method was first used in international cricket in 1997 and was fully adopted by the ICC in 1999.

2. In 2014, it was updated by Australian statistician Steven Stern and renamed the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method.

3. The DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method is used to fairly determine results and set revised targets in rain-truncated matches. When rain interrupts a cricket match, leading to a reduction in overs, or if rain disrupts the second innings, this method calculates the chasing team’s revised target. 

4. The method converts all possible combinations of balls and wickets in hand to a combined “resources remaining” figure, which is expressed in percentage — full 50 overs, and 10 wickets in hand means 100% resources available.

Post Read Question

(1) Consider the following statements in respect of the ICC World Test Championship: (UPSC CSE 2021)

1. The finalists were decided by the number of matches they won.

2. New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because it won more matches than England.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Read More:

India win Champions Trophy 2025

ICC Champions Trophy ultimate guide: Everything you need to know about mega event

Frank Duckworth dies: How his DLS method works

Shami asks for lifting ban on saliva for shining cricket balls: Mechanics of swing, explained

🚨Union Budget 2025 special: Click Here to read the February 2025 issue of the UPSC Essentials monthly magazine. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

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