NEW DELHI: Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bat first against arch-rivals India in their highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Pakistan made one change to their playing XI, with Imam-ul-Haq replacing the injured Fakhar Zaman. India, coming off a six-wicket win against Bangladesh, fielded an unchanged lineup.
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It’s a must-win game for the tournament hosts Pakistan, after suffering a 60-run loss against New Zealand in the tournament opener. India needed a win to virtually book their slot in the semi-finals.
After winning the toss, Rizwan said, “Will bat first, looks like a good surface. Want to put up a good target. Every match is important in ICC events, we will keep things normal. The boys are familiar with these conditions, we have done well here and we want to do our best today. We lost our last game, but it is past for us now. One change – Fakhar is out, Imam is in.”
India captain Rohit Sharma remained unfazed by the toss outcome, stating, “Doesn’t really matter, they won the toss so we’ll bowl first. Looks similar to the last game, the surface is on the slower side. We have an experienced unit in batting so we know what we need to do. Need an overall performance from the team – with bat and ball.”
Adding to India’s morale, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was seen in the stands, supporting his team. The speedster also met his teammates on the field before the match, sharing a warm embrace with Virat Kohli.
With a packed stadium and millions watching worldwide, the stage is set for another thrilling chapter in the India-Pakistan rivalry.
Playing XIs:
- India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
- Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
