Dubai: Hyped as a high-profile blockbuster match, India and Pakistan square off against each other in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy at Dubai Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.
With India eyeing to confirm their semifinal spot and defending champions Pakistan, the co-hosts of the tournament, desperate to avoid early elimination having lost their campaign opener against formidable New Zealand side by a massive margin of 60 runs at Karachi National Stadium on Wednesday. On the other hand, India came off a comprehensive six-wicket win against Bangladesh on Thursday.
Both the teams last met in the 2017 final, where Pakistan emerged triumphant beating India in the final by a huge margin of 180 runs. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side will look to draw inspiration from that match and produce something exceptional to beat in-form Men in Blue led by Rohit Sharma.
India has the upper hand in the game with skipper Rohit Sharma getting into the grove with a hundred in Cuttack against England in the build of the Champions Trophy and a fiery 41 against Bangladesh on Wednesday and vice-captain Shubman Gill scoring two centuries and two fifties in the last four innings. In contrast, Pakistan is worried about Babar Azam’s slow batting and opening combination. Now, in addition to their concerns, they have lost opener Fakhar Zaman due to an injury he picked up on the very second ball of the match against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli, who has been dismissed four times against leg-spinner in the last five games, faces pressure for not converting starts into a big score. However, he loves Pakistan as an opposition and he usually performs out of his skin against Pakistan. The match may hinge on bowling, where India boasts a fit Mohammed Shami, who announced his comeback in ICC events with a record-breaking fifer, and a formidable spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Varun Chakravarty is currently warming the bench and that tells you the quality of spin they have in their lineup.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s bowlers are under scrutiny after their recent performance against New Zealand as they conceded over 300+ targets in back-to-back games against the same opponent, one in the Tri-series final and the other in the Champions Trophy opener. India is expected to maintain their winning lineup.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Here are IND vs PAK Champions Trophy match live streaming and telecast details:
India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 Match Schedule, Date and Time?
The Champions Trophy 2025 between India and Pakistan will be played on Sunday, February 23, at the Dubai International Stadium. The match will start at 2:30 PM IST.
India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 Match Live On TV In India?
The Champions Trophy 2025 match between India and Pakistan will be televised on the Star Sports network in India.
IND vs PAK Champions Trophy 2025 Live Streaming OTT
The live streaming of the India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 will be available on the JioHotstar app and website in India.
IND vs PAK Toss Time
The toss for the India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 will take place at 2:00 PM IST.
