ICC Champions Trophy 2017 preview: India – Reliance on Virat Kohli to step-up and Team India to hit the ground running after long IPL campaign

2017 has been a busy year already for the Indian Cricket Team – and when you add in the demands of the recent IPL campaign on the nation’s top stars – several players may be feeling fatigued ahead of the tournament in England.

However, an opener against arch-rivals Pakistan (June 4 at Edgbaston) is enough to get anyone going and should produce a fine spectacle – coupled with their two other Group B fixtures against Sri Lanka (June 8 at the Oval) and South Africa, three days later, also at the same venue.

For India, hopes invariably rely on captain Virat Kohli to fire and fans will be hoping he is now fully-fit and ready to fine form again after a troublesome shoulder injury and below-par showings in the IPL.

While there may be question marks over Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan in the batting department, Indian pace duo Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah should flourish in English conditions with the ball.

Sport360’s Stuart Appleby is joined by Indian cricket expert Ajit Vijaykumar to discuss how the Men in Blue will fare.

Share your thoughts on the tournament with us – get in touch on Twitter or via Facebook.