Pakistan seek redemption against India in high-octane Champions Trophy clash today
UAE atmosphere is electrifying, as Asian giants are locking horns today amid political tensions.
DUBAI – The much-awaited game of Champions Trophy 2025 is finally here, with Pakistan taking on arch-rival India to stay alive in the thrilling ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
UAE atmosphere is electrifying, as Asian giants are locking horns today amid political tensions. As cricket between two sides is rare, tens of millions are looking for a much-awaited encounter.
Defending champions Pakistan will be aiming to retain their title, which they claimed in 2017 by defeating India. However, the odds are stacked against them. Pakistan managed to win just one of the eight completed ODIs against India, which puts Men in Blue in a strong position.
Pakistan’s road to defending their Champions Trophy title has been rocky, with 60-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their opening match in the port city of Karachi. This leaves today’s game as “do or die” match for Pakistan—another defeat would almost certainly end their hopes of progressing further in the tournament.
India, started their campaign in strong form with victory over Bangladesh in their opener. The defending champions may have injury concerns, but India too has faced setbacks, with star pacer Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to injury.
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Pakistan’s pace trio—Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah—will have their work cut out facing India’s established batting line-up, which includes the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul. However, Pakistan’s biggest concern might be their lack of spin options, as they are relying on only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed, compared to India’s three spinners.
Pakistan vs Indian Squads
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan.
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.
