February 22, 2025: India is gearing up for an intense showdown against arch-rivals Pakistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy match at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. This high-stakes game holds immense significance for both teams, with Pakistan looking to defend their title while India aims to solidify their chances of reaching the semifinals.
The clash brings back memories of the 2017 Champions Trophy final, where Pakistan stunned India with a resounding 180-run victory, giving them an early advantage in the head-to-head record in Champions Trophy matchups (3-2). India, led by Virat Kohli back then, had been one of the top contenders and were poised to lift the trophy. With that loss still fresh in the minds of Indian fans, this upcoming match is seen as an opportunity for India to exact some revenge and get the upper hand in this fierce rivalry.
Pakistan enters the match with some concerns after a heavy 60-run defeat against New Zealand in their opening game of the tournament. There are several issues plaguing their team: from key pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah struggling to make an impact with the ball, to the batting lineup, which has yet to fire on all cylinders. The absence of Fakhar Zaman, a match-winner for Pakistan in the 2017 final, due to injury only adds to their worries.
On the other hand, India enters the game with confidence, having secured a convincing 6-wicket victory against Bangladesh in their tournament opener. However, India has its own set of challenges. While they restricted Bangladesh to a modest total of 228 runs, they struggled during the run-chase, with Virat Kohli in particular having a rough outing against the spinners. The middle-order collapse highlighted the need for India to work on their form to avoid similar setbacks against a tough Pakistan bowling attack.
Despite their challenges, India’s top-order has often delivered under pressure in high-stakes matches against Pakistan. But the Pakistani pacers, especially Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah, will pose a significant challenge for the Indian batsmen, while the crafty spin duo of Abrar Ahmed and Salman Ali Agha will look to exploit any weaknesses in the middle order.
With the absence of India’s key fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, the pressure will be on Mohammed Shami, who is returning from injury, and the young, untested pace options like Harshit Rana. This dynamic could give Pakistan the extra motivation to target India’s relatively inexperienced fast-bowling lineup.
The result of Sunday’s game could effectively decide both teams’ fates in the tournament, making this a nail-biting encounter with high stakes for both sides. Cricket fans from across the world will be eagerly waiting for this clash, hoping for another thrilling chapter in the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry.
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.