The depleted Aussies will look at Travis Head and captain Smith for inspiration as they chase the title that they last won in 2009.
The 34-year-old not being picked for the first two T20s raised questions over his fitness but Kotak said the veteran pacer has no issues on that front.
India play their Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh on February 20.
The BCCI has not yet confirmed India's participation in the Champions Trophy, which is slated to be held in Pakistan in February-March.
Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc said a sore ankle and his "personal views" were behind his decision to pull out of the Champions Trophy.
The ICC continued discussions on the Champions Trophy schedule with the participating nations amid speculation that the entire tournament could be moved out of Pakistan following India's refusal to travel to the country, a source said on Tuesday.
India's only representative in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, Nitin Menon, has opted out of officiating in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan this month due to personal reasons.
It is understood that Yashasvi Jaiswal has a bright chance of making it to the ODI squad. His inclusion would ensure a left-handed batter in the top four.
Young Pakistan opener Saim Ayub has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy after sustaining an ankle injury in South Africa in January.
Champions Trophy headlines Pakistan's home season but India uncertainty remains
A sore right knee forced Virat Kohli out of the first ODI against England in Nagpur on Thursday but the extent of the problem was not immediately clear.
'Pakistan can beat any team on any given day'
'It's the game of cricket. You're going to miss out, you're going to drop a catch -- you've got to get on with what's in front of you.'
Allowing India to play all their matches in Dubai robbed Pakistan of the honour of hosting the final and disrupted the schedule of the knockout matches.
England skipper Jos Buttler said his side was "outplayed" by India throughout the three-match series.
Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina feels middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav will be sorely missed in the upcoming Champions Trophy, as he could have provided the 'X-factor' in Dubai, where Rohit Sharma's side will play all its matches.
The BCCI decided against playing practice games as India is already participating in a three-match ODI series against England.
It is believed that India is unlikely to get the government's clearance to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
The tournament was decorated with several impactful players and 12 of them have made it to the ICC Champions Trophy Team of the Tournament.
Joe Root's century in vain as England were shown the door.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner acknowledged the challenge posed by India's understanding of the conditions in the Champions Trophy final, but expressed confidence in his team's ability to adapt. Santner believes the experience of playing against India in a league match will help, and is hoping his batters will be better prepared to face mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy this time around.
Top seven teams at ODI World Cup 2023 will qualify for 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, as per ICC's new rules
Joe Root returned to England's one-day international squad for the first time since their ill-fated World Cup title defence in November
Yashasvi Jaiswal was on Saturday expectedly picked in the India squad for the Champions Trophy and pacer Mohammed Shami returned to national fold
Richard Thompson, have suggested that staging the Champions Trophy without powerhouse India is not an option and there are "contingencies available" if Rohit Sharma's team doesn't travel to host country Pakistan.
The tournament is scheduled to be held in Pakistan, and Rizwan expressed confidence in the enthusiastic reception the Indian team would receive from Pakistani fans.
The deadlock over the hosting of next year's Champions Trophy ended on Thursday when the ICC announced that India will play its matches of the 50-over showpiece at a neutral venue instead of host country Pakistan, which will have a similar arrangement for tournaments to be held in India till 2027.
Former India player and coach Lalchand Rajput says this Indian team has a clear instinct that will just finish off opponents
Rachin Ravindra lost sight of the ball in the floodlights when attempting a catch and was hit in the forehead during a warm-up match for the Champions Trophy against Pakistan in Lahore.
'It shouldn't be that we travel to India and they don't come to our country. Idea is to settle it once and for all on equal terms.'
Rohit Sharma smashed his 32nd ODI century -- a 90-ball 119 -- to guide India to a four-wicket victory over England.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that the Three Lions should restore the position of their experienced stars in their ODI setup ahead of next year's ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
Former South African captain Graeme Smith is confident that his country will end its long wait for an ICC trophy in 2023, with the Champions Trophy and World Test Championship final on the horizon. He believes the team is in a strong position to break their drought and is focused on developing the nation's cricket ecosystem ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Both teams have struggled in the ODI format recently. World champions Australia lost to Sri Lanka (0-2) and Pakistan (1-2) in their last two series, while England, now coached by Brendon McCullum in all formats, haven't won an ODI series since their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign.
Australia captain Pat Cummins is all but ruled out of the Champions Trophy while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt for the tournament.
South Africa crushed England by seven wickets in their final group match to storm into the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy.
Although India are playing a strong brand of 50-overs' cricket of late, they have some selection riddles to solve before they face Bangladesh in their opening match of the Champions Trophy.
'The stakes are too high and it would have been a complete embarrassment had Bumrah broken down in a match.'
Despite often flying under the radar in discussions about India's all-round options, Axar Patel brings a rare skill set -- a spinner, who bashes spin with his bat, while being a reliable left-arm spinner.
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