February 22, 2025: Ahead of the highly anticipated clash between Pakistan and India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, former Pakistan cricketer Azam Khan shared his well wishes for the Pakistan team, led by Mohammad Rizwan, and emphasized the importance of playing well to secure victory.
Pakistan’s title defense is at risk after they suffered a 60-run defeat against New Zealand in their tournament opener. Azam Khan highlighted that Pakistan must improve their performance to stay in the tournament, particularly with their upcoming match against their bitter rivals, India.
Azam expressed, “I wish the best of luck to the Pakistan Cricket Team. It’s just a game. It will be a high voltage encounter, and the team which makes fewer mistakes will win the match.” He also pointed out that, despite the intense rivalry between the two nations, matches in recent years have been played with a sense of friendly competition.
Historically, Pakistan holds a 3-2 advantage over India in Champions Trophy encounters, including a memorable 180-run victory in the 2017 final, when the Indian team was at the peak of their form. Heading into this high-stakes match, Pakistan will be looking to bounce back from their opening defeat and keep their hopes alive in the tournament.
India, on the other hand, enters the game with momentum, having comfortably beaten Bangladesh by six wickets in their first match. The rivalry between the two teams is set to add extra drama to what promises to be a thrilling contest.
Azam Khan concluded by saying that the team that handles the pressure better and makes fewer mistakes would emerge victorious in this critical encounter. With both teams eager for a win, fans can expect an intense and exciting battle between these two cricketing giants.
Squads:
- India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
- Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.