Champions Trophy: Pakistan elect to bat against India in Dubai
What's the story
The much-anticipated Pakistan vs India match in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is finally upon us in Dubai. The impending match is especially important as it comes after Pakistan's defeat against New Zealand and India's win over Bangladesh in their respective opening games. Notably, Pakistan have a 3-2 lead over India in the Champions Trophy. Pakistan have won the toss and elected to bat.
Playing XIs
No changes in India's Playing XI
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav. Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicket-keeper), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed.
Information
Imam-ul-Haq replaces injured Fakhar Zaman
Pakistan's opening batter, Fakhar Zaman, has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury. Imam-ul-Haq has been approved by the ICC as the opener's replacement. As expected, the latter will open alongside Babar Azam in the India game.
Record
A look at head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan have three wins and two defeats against India in the Champions Trophy. This includes the Men in Green's triumph in the 2017 CT final. Pakistan are ahead in terms of overall ODI record as well, having won 73 games and losing 57 (NR: 5). The arch-rivals last met (ODIs) in the 2023 World Cup as India claimed a seven-wicket win.
Details
Pitch, conditions, and streaming details
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is expected to be slow. The same was witnessed in India's opener against Bangladesh as the Tigers were bowled out for 228. Rohit Sharma's men then comfortably chased down the target. The match be live telivised on Star Sports Network, while Jiostar will provide the live streaming (2:30pm IST).
Performers
A look at star performers
In 16 ODIs against Pakistan, Virat Kohli has returned with 678 runs at a tremendous average of 52.15. Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma owns 873 ODI runs against Pakistan at 51.35. Kuldeep Yadav owns 12 ODI wickets vs Pakistan at 14.16. Shaheen Afridi has claimed 21 wickets across 10 ODI games since 2024. Babar Azam owns an ODI average of 57.17 in Asia.
Rivalry
India vs Pakistan: A closer look
India and Pakistan do not engage in bilateral international series due to political tensions. They only face each other in multilateral tournaments. The two countries recently clashed in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, where India reigned supreme. The last India-Pakistan bilateral series was held in 2012 (in India) when Pakistan defeated India 2-1 in ODIs. Besides, India last visited Pakistan in 2008.