Atul Wassan believes a Pakistan victory would make the tournament more exciting ahead of their high-stakes clash against India.
February 22, 2025: As India gears up to face Pakistan in the much-anticipated Champions Trophy 2025 showdown on Sunday, former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan has stirred up debate with his unexpected remark. Wassan stated that he wants Pakistan to win against India to keep the tournament competitive.
“A Pakistan Win Will Make the Tournament Interesting” – Atul Wassan
While India kicked off their campaign with a dominant six-wicket victory over Bangladesh, Pakistan suffered a 60-run defeat against New Zealand, putting them in a must-win situation.
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“If Pakistan wins, then it becomes a contest. There should be an equal fight,” Wassan told ANI. “If you don’t let Pakistan win, then what will you do?”
Despite his controversial wish, Wassan praised India’s squad strength, particularly its batting depth and spin-heavy bowling attack suited for Dubai conditions.
“You have a lot of good batters: Shubman (Gill), Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli). You are batting until number eight in Axar Patel. Rohit has picked five spinners, and this team is best for Dubai. Have faith in what you have and move ahead,” he added.
India vs Pakistan: Must-Win for Pakistan
If Pakistan loses to India, their title defense could be in jeopardy, leaving them dependent on permutations and combinations for qualification.
Squads for India vs Pakistan
India Squad:
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 Squad:
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.
With the high-stakes clash set for Sunday, all eyes will be on whether India maintains dominance or if Pakistan revives its campaign with a crucial win.
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