https://arab.news/mvbva
- Pakistan must beat India to keep tournament hopes alive after losing opener to New Zealand
- Despite better record against Pakistan recently, India vice-captain warns side against complacency
ISLAMABAD: Millions of cricket fans will be watching from home today, Sunday, as Pakistan take on India in a must-win clash in Dubai in what is expected to be a blockbuster ICC Champions Trophy 2025 cricket match.
A sell-out crowd in Dubai will witness the iconic clash between the two arch-rivals, who enjoy one of the fiercest sports rivalries of all time when they face off against each other in the eight-nation tournament.
India and Pakistan only meet in multi-nation events because of political tensions. The match is taking place in Dubai after India refused to travel to tournament hosts Pakistan.
“It’s Super Sunday at the #ChampionsTrophy as Pakistan takes on India,” the International Cricket Council wrote on its Instagram. “Who’s winning this blockbuster match?”
Indian cricket fans, their bodies painted in the colors of the national flags of India, right and Pakistan,left, pose for photograph in Ahmedabad, India, Oct. 23, 2021. (AP/File)
Sunday’s clash is crucial for Pakistan as skipper Mohammad Rizwan’s side suffered a 60-run defeat at New Zealand’s hands in the opening game of the competition in Karachi on Wednesday.
Pakistan need to beat favorites India to stay in the hunt for a semifinal spot in the tournament.
An early exit from the tournament would take some gloss off it as Pakistan are hosting their first major ICC tournament in nearly 30 years.
New Zealand top Group A ahead of India, who beat Bangladesh on Thursday by six wickets, on a better run-rate. Pakistan are fourth and bottom of the group. The top two teams from each of the two groups make the semifinals.
Pakistan white-ball coach Aqib Javed remained optimistic of Pakistan’s chances ahead of the encounter.
“After losing a game there is another good chance for you to win and win the third one and make it to the semis,” Javed told reporters on Saturday.
“Between India and Pakistan it doesn’t matter, it’s a knockout or whatever. It’s beyond a game and that’s the beauty of India-Pakistan cricket.”
Pakistan suffered a big blow on Wednesday when top batsman Fakhar Zaman suffered a muscle injury. He has been ruled out of the tournament, but Aaqib said they will still field a “good, strong team.”
Left-handed Imam-ul-Haq has come in as a replacement for a team that hammered India in the final of the previous Champions Trophy in 2017.
That was India’s last defeat to Pakistan in an ODI match and Rohit Sharma’s men have since won five of the last six games against their greatest rivals, with one rained off.
They last met in a one-day game at the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad, with hosts India winning by seven wickets.
Despite India heading into the match as favorites, vice-captain Shubman Gill warned his side against complacency on Saturday.
“Definitely we have been playing some good ODI cricket and Pakistan unfortunately have lost some of the matches that they have played recently but by no means are we going to take them as a lesser side,” Gill told reporters.
The match is scheduled to begin at 2:00pm Pakistan Standard Time.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.
Pakistan squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi