Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first against India in their Champions Trophy match at Dubai International Stadium. Pakistan made one change, with Imam-ul-Haq replacing Fakhar Zaman. India, who started their campaign with a win against Bangladesh, kept the same lineup. Both teams face a challenging, worn-out pitch, which could make scoring difficult later in the game. Historically, Pakistan leads India in Champions Trophy encounters 3-2, but India has dominated their World Cup matchups. The Men in Green need a win to stay alive in the tournament.
- Pakistan’s Opening Loss: Pakistan suffered a 60-run defeat against New Zealand in their opening match on February 19.
- India’s Winning Start: India began their campaign with a comfortable win, chasing down a 229-run target against Bangladesh on February 20.
- Toss Result: Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first in their highly anticipated Champions Trophy clash against India at Dubai International Stadium.
- Changes to the Squads: Pakistan made one change, replacing Fakhar Zaman with Imam-ul-Haq, while India kept their winning lineup intact.
- Captain’s Remarks: Pakistan’s captain, Mohammad Rizwan, expressed confidence, stating, “We’re certain of victory today.” He emphasized the importance of setting a strong total. Indian captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged that the pitch might slow down, making it harder to score as the game progresses, but he was confident in his team’s adaptability.
Pitch Conditions:
- The pitch has been used twice before, including India’s win over Bangladesh, and it showed signs of wear and tear.
- Both teams are expected to capitalize during the powerplay. The boundaries are relatively short, but scoring could get challenging as the match goes on. Sunil Gavaskar predicted that a total of around 270 could be defendable.
Head-to-Head Record:
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Overall ODIs:
- Matches: 135
- Pakistan Wins: 73 (54.1%)
- India Wins: 57 (42.2%)
- Draws: 5 (3.7%)
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ODI World Cups:
- Matches: 8
- Pakistan Wins: 0 (0%)
- India Wins: 8 (100%)
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Champions Trophy:
- Matches: 5
- Pakistan Wins: 3 (60%)
- India Wins: 2 (40%)
Challenges for Pakistan:
- Pakistan needs a victory to stay alive in the tournament. They face a tough challenge on a worn pitch, one that India has already mastered.
- India boasts a strong lineup with five spinners in their squad, which could prove crucial in the match.
Stats and Trivia:
- India has won nine of their last 11 completed ODIs against Pakistan across World Cups, Champions Trophy, and Asia Cup.
- Pakistan has beaten India three times out of five in Champions Trophy encounters, including in the 2017 final.
- Virat Kohli is just 15 runs away from becoming the third player to score 14,000 ODI runs, and the fastest to achieve this milestone.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan (Possible XI):
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Babar Azam
- Saud Shakeel
- Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk)
- Salman Agha
- Tayyab Tahir
- Khushdil Shah
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Naseem Shah
- Haris Rauf
- Abrar Ahmed
India (Possible XI):
- Rohit Sharma (capt)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- KL Rahul (wk)
- Hardik Pandya
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Harshit Rana
- Mohammed Shami
- Kuldeep Yadav
The much-anticipated clash between Pakistan and India promises to be an exciting contest.