NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has dismissed Pakistan’s chances of defeating India in their crucial ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Citing Pakistan’s recent struggles, including their tri-nation series loss and an underwhelming Test series against West Indies, Kaneria contrasted their form with India’s resurgence following their Border-Gavaskar Trophy setback. He pointed to India’s white-ball series win against England and the strong performances of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami.
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“After the debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, India defeated England in the white-ball series at home. They got their confidence back as Rohit and Virat scored runs, while Shami also returned to the team and silenced critics with his bowling, even taking a fifer against Bangladesh,” Kaneria told IANS.
Kaneria singled out India’s spin attack as a key challenge for Pakistan, particularly Babar Azam, who he believes struggles against left-arm spinners like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. “India have better spinners, and Babar Azam struggles against left-arm spinners. How will he tackle Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel? On the other hand, Pakistan don’t have a good spinner, and we’ve seen Virat and other Indian batters struggle against leg-spin. This is a huge match, but Pakistan has no chance of winning on February 23,” he remarked.
Babar’s approach in Pakistan’s opening game against New Zealand also came under scrutiny, with Kaneria criticising his intent while chasing 321. The Pakistan batter managed 64 off 90 balls, failing to keep up with the required run rate, while Khushdil Shah played a more aggressive 69 off 49 deliveries. “I’ve seen that when Babar thinks the match is out of reach, he focuses on scoring individual runs. He didn’t show intent, while Khushdil Shah did and played a good knock. Although we lost, his innings at least made the score look better. Babar can’t justify his approach,” Kaneria said.
He further noted that Pakistan will struggle on the slow, dry pitches in Dubai, particularly against India’s bowling attack, despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. “Shubman Gill scored a classical century. If you don’t have the intent, it’ll be very difficult (to win against India),” he added.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, registered a six-wicket win over Bangladesh and will look to continue their winning momentum against arch-rivals Pakistan to secure a semi-final berth.
