India vs Pakistan | Pakistan’s Battle for Survival Against India in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy

Pakistan vs India, 5th Match, Group A 

Match:

PAK vs IND, 5th Match, Group A, ICC Champions Trophy, 2025

Date:

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Time:

2:45 PM

Venue:

Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Pakistan Squad:

Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Kamran Ghulam, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan

India Squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (wk), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

If there was ever a time when Pakistan needed a miracle, it’s definitely now. It's not the cricketers' fault—they’ve found themselves stuck in a tricky spot, with international cricket leaving them somewhat isolated. In fact, this is the first ICC event they’ve hosted in 29 years. And just three days into the Champions Trophy, after a big loss to New Zealand, they’re already staring at the possibility of an early exit from the very tournament they’ve been waiting three decades to host.

But here's the twist—Pakistan’s fate in the tournament now depends on beating their arch-nemesis, India, on a slow, tired pitch. The same pitch that India has already played on and won a match. Oh, and India has five spinners to choose from. Fun, right?

What makes this situation even trickier is that Pakistan now has to travel to Dubai for their match, even though they’re hosting the tournament. Why? Because India refused to travel to Pakistan, and the reasons for that are still as mysterious as the Bermuda Triangle—no one really knows. Understandably, Pakistan’s feeling a little under siege. Not only are they fighting to stay in the game, but they’re also battling to have their name appear in the official broadcast. It’s like being invited to a party, only to find your name mysteriously missing from the guest list. Suspicious? Maybe. But then again, maybe it’s not as sinister as it seems.

This odd dynamic makes things even more interesting. Despite all the behind-the-scenes drama, the cricketers themselves respect each other. Sure, they’re not best buds, but they’re polite, which probably annoys those who wish there were more on-field fireworks.

Let’s be honest, Pakistan and India are on different levels when it comes to cricket. Once a trailblazer in Asia, Pakistan now finds itself playing catch-up in limited-overs cricket. Meanwhile, India, once known for their knack for accumulating runs but not always winning, has evolved into a team that’s always looking to stay ahead of the curve. The ICC makes sure there’s at least one India-Pakistan showdown in every major tournament, but here’s the kicker: Pakistan has won only twice since 2011—once in 2017 and again in 2021.

But don’t count Pakistan out just yet. They’re eyeing the conditions with a glimmer of hope. The slow pitches in Dubai, which were recently used in the ILT20, might level the playing field. These pitches call for old-school cricket skills that could neutralize India’s big hitters in the middle overs. With no dew to worry about (thanks to those lovely 1 pm starts), the toss will be a major factor. It worked for Sri Lanka last year, who used a clever spin attack to beat India in similar conditions. Will history repeat itself? Pakistan is hoping so, but India has learned from the past.

Form Guide

• Pakistan: LLWLW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
• India: WWWWL

In the Spotlight: Virat Kohli vs Salman Agha

Virat Kohli is facing a curious issue—he’s been dismissed by legspin in five consecutive matches, scoring just 21 runs off the last 46 balls he’s faced against legspinners in ODIs. Now, Pakistan doesn’t have a traditional legspinner, but Abrar Ahmed can still turn the ball both ways like a leggie. While most batters these days are focused on hitting big on flat tracks, this match will require the skill to rotate the strike and find singles without taking unnecessary risks. Could India need that in this game? Only time will tell, but we’ll be watching closely. Will we see the old Kohli back in action?

On Pakistan's side, Salman Agha has been a bright spot. Since 2024, he’s scored the second-most middle-over runs for Pakistan—325 runs at an average of 65 and a strike rate of 88.07. In a game where India will try to choke them with their slower bowlers, Pakistan will need all of Agha’s skills to get them through those tricky middle overs.

Team News: Imam or Usman in for Fakhar?

With Fakhar Zaman out of action, Imam-ul-Haq has been brought into the squad. However, there’s another option in Usman Khan, who bats at No. 4 in List A cricket. If he gets the nod, he’ll be in an unfamiliar role, so that’ll be something to keep an eye on.

Possible Pakistan XI:

1. Imam-ul-Haq
2. Babar Azam
3. Saud Shakeel
4. Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk)
5. Salman Agha
6. Tayyab Tahir
7. Khushdil Shah
8. Shaheen Shah Afridi
9. Naseem Shah
10. Haris Rauf
11. Abrar Ahmed

Possible India XI:

1. Rohit Sharma (capt)
2. Shubman Gill
3. Virat Kohli
4. Shreyas Iyer
5. KL Rahul (wk)
6. Hardik Pandya
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Axar Patel
9. Harshit Rana
10. Mohammed Shami
11. Kuldeep Yadav

Pitch and Conditions

India made the right call by opting to field first in their opening game against Bangladesh. The pitch slowed down as the match progressed, and with no dew to worry about, teams will be making the most of the powerplay before the middle overs get tricky. Don’t expect any team to make the same mistake again on these Dubai pitches.

Stats and Trivia: India’s Dominance Over Pakistan

• India has won 9 of their last 11 completed ODIs against Pakistan, across the World Cup, Champions Trophy, and Asia Cup.
• Pakistan has beaten India 3 times in 5 Champions Trophy matches, including the 2017 final.
• Kohli is just 15 runs away from becoming only the third player (and the fastest) to score 14,000 ODI runs.