India and Pakistan will take on each other on February 23 in the Champions Trophy. The last time they played each other in the competition was the final of the last edition in 2017. India lost to Pakistan and failed to defend the title won in 2017. It was Virat Kohli’s first ICC event as captain and he missed out on the crown. He has never won an ICC event as a captain.

One person who feels Kohli made a ‘big mistake’ that cost India the match is none other than the man who was India’s batting coach at the time. He is also one of Kohli’s favourite coaches with whom the player has often been seen training. Yes, we speak of Sanjay Bangar. Bangar said India should have batted first after winning the toss. Instead, India put Pakistan into bat and they piled on the runs. Chasing a target of 339, India collapsed for just 158. The likes of Kohli, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan failed with the bat. Only Hardik Pandya offered resistance.

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Of course, Bangar insists that Kohli alone is not to blame as it was a collective team decision along with the management. But he feels the result could have been different if India had set Pakistan a target instead. The Champions Trophy is the only ICC competition where Pakistan has a superior record vs India. In five games, they have won three and India have won two.

"We made a mistake that day. We should have batted after winning the toss because in England, you always look up – whether there are clouds. And it was a sunny day entirely. I felt that the decisions that were made and the team management who was part of that call were wrong. I, too, was part of that team. So the captain Virat Kohli, coach Anil Kumble, senior player MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma... everybody was a part of it. It wasn't a one-man decision," he said during a discussion on ESPNCrininfo.

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"When Hardik and Jadeja were batting, the target was too steep even then. He played a good innings and struck some big sixes, but barring that, we were out of the game when we lost the top order. Hardik was fuming, but he didn't let that frustration out on his teammate. It was more on himself in a way that 'I could have won this match for India'. In such a scenario, the player should be left alone," he added.

That game remains a painful reminder for many Indian fans. The upcoming edition starts on February 19 and India’s campaign begins vs Bangladesh on February 20. This time it is Rohit at the helm while Kohli is in the side as a player. Both of them need to fire if India want to do one better than 2017. India ended an 11-year ICC title drought when they won the 2024 T20 World Cup. They now have a chance to win consecutive ICC titles. Can it happen? Time will tell.