Hyderabad: Pakistan are staring at an early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after losing the fixture against India by six wickets. Virat Kohli stole the show in the Group A clash played at the Dubai International Stadium helping the Indian team complete a run chase of 242. With the defeat, Pakistan are at the bottom of the points table and will need multiple permutations and combinations to book a berth in the semi-final.
Pakistan conceded their second loss of the tournament against India after suffering a six-wicket loss. In the match against Men in Blue, the team posted a total of 241 with Saud Shakeel top-scoring with a knock of 62 runs. India chased the target with 45 balls to spare as Virat Kohli scored a century.
How Pakistan can qualify for the Champions Trophy semi-final?
Pakistan’s chances to qualify for the semis of the Champions Trophy are no longer in their hands and they have to rely on results from the other matches as well. The team will first hope for Bangladesh beating New Zealand in the clash on Monday to be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. If New Zealand wins against Bangladesh which is the most likely outcome, India along with Black Caps will sail into the semifinal of the tournament and Pakistan will be eliminated officially.
However, if Bangladesh defeats New Zealand, then Pakistan will need to ink a win over Bangladesh by a huge margin to compensate for their net run rate of -1.087. Also, if both instances occur, Pakistan will hope for India to beat New Zealand. In such a case, Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand both will have one win each in the group stage and the second team along with India to go through to semis will be decided on the basis of net run rate.
Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament as they lifted the silverware in the 2017 edition. The team beat India in the final of the competition by 180 runs. However, the chances to make it to the final are looking slim for the Men in Green as they have already lost two matches in two fixtures so far.
