Sydney: Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson termed India's inability to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy as "unfortunate" but said the ICC showpiece will offer star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma a chance to liberate themselves from a prolonged form slump.
The global governing body has adopted the 'Hybrid' model for this edition of the CT with India scheduled to play its matches at a neutral venue in Dubai.
"It's unfortunate that things have worked out that way for sure. But there's no doubt that what everyone loves seeing — the India-Pakistan games. Whenever they come together, whether it's an ICC event, it is a really special time because we've got a sense of what's on the line," Watson told the media here during the Champions Trophy Tour.
"It's unfortunate that India aren't travelling to Pakistan for this Champions Trophy. But, unfortunately, that's just the way it is right now," he added.
Watson said the CT offers cricket a fresh context, breaking the long lull of four years between two ODI World Cups.
"The CT is a critically important tournament in world cricket because the One Day World Cup is only once in every four years. It is great because it breaks up those four years," he noted.
The 43-year-old also said the CT keeps the ODI format alive amidst the rightful prominence Test cricket receives and the upsurge of T20s.
"You keep giving one-day cricket the energy that it needs because it is a great game. It's a great format. It provides that balance between Test cricket and T20 cricket.
"We never want to lose the format of one-day cricket, but there needs to be context as often as possible. And the CT certainly provides that."
"When you play a CT where there's only eight teams, there is something riding on every ball. And as a team, you have to hit the ground sprinting. Otherwise, you'll be out like it was for the Australian team in 2013." Then defending champions Australia had finished at the bottom of Group A with a solitary win and crashed out of the tournament, which India won eventually under MS Dhoni.
