As the cricket world gears up for the much-anticipated clash of the ICC Champions Trophy, all eyes are on the Dubai International Stadium where India will face off against arch-rivals Pakistan this Sunday.
The stakes are high, the tension palpable, and the excitement is through the roof. India, led by Rohit Sharma, has had a promising start to their campaign, securing a comfortable six-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Pakistan, the hosts and defending champions, suffered a 60-run loss against New Zealand in the tournament opener in Karachi earlier this week. This makes the upcoming match a must-win encounter for Pakistan to stay in the hunt for the semi-final from Group A.
In their last ODI meet in the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad, Sharma, along with Shreyas Iyer, scored half-centuries, leading India to an emphatic seven-wicket win and maintaining their unbeaten record in the tournament.
The Indian team boasts a formidable pace attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, who made a triumphant return to international cricket just before the World Cup after a year-long injury hiatus.
Along with Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya, Bumrah backed their captain's call to bowl first in their last ODI meet, picking two scalps each to bundle out the visitors for a paltry 191. The Indian spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja also shared four wickets between them, further strengthening India's bowling prowess.
However, India's journey in the Champions Trophy has not been without setbacks. They faced a loss against Pakistan in the 2017 title clash at The Oval, missing out on their second silverware in the tournament. Despite this, India holds a psychological edge, having stayed unbeaten against Pakistan in the last six ODIs since 2018, including the 2023 Asia Cup group stage washout.
The last time the two sides met was in the 2024 T20 World Cup group stage match in New York. The Men in Blue dominated the encounter, winning by nine runs. Bumrah, with figures of 3-14, bagged the Player of the Match accolade, further cementing his reputation as a key player in high-stakes matches. India went on to win the title, beating South Africa in the final to lift their second T20 World Cup trophy after 2007.
The upcoming match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm IST on Sunday, February 23, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The toss will take place at 2 pm. The match will get broadcast on the Star Sports Network and live-streaming on JioHotstar.
The Indian squad includes Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
The Pakistan squad comprises Mohammad Rizwan (c, wk), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
