Emirates Cricket Champions Trophy
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Players of Pakistan stood for their national anthem before the start of their ICC Champions Trophy match against India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to bat first against India in their crucial Group A encounter at the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Despite Pakistan being the official host of the tournament, this high-profile clash is taking place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, as India is playing all its league and potential knockout matches in the UAE. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not issued a formal statement on avoiding matches in Pakistan, officials have cited security concerns.
Pakistan is under pressure to keep its tournament hopes alive after suffering a 60-run defeat to New Zealand in the opening match. Meanwhile, India began its campaign with a convincing six-wicket win over Bangladesh in Dubai and will secure a semi-final spot with another victory today.
The last time these two teams met in a Champions Trophy fixture was in the 2017 final, where Pakistan registered a dominant 180-run victory over India in London.
Pakistan has made one forced change, with Imam-ul-Haq replacing the injured Fakhar Zaman. India, on the other hand, remains unchanged.
The Dubai pitch is expected to be slow, offering assistance to both pacers and spinners as the game progresses. However, evening dew could provide an advantage to the team chasing.
Playing XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
