Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to bat first in their highly anticipated Group A clash against India at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
With both teams aiming to secure a spot in the semifinals, this match is crucial for their chances in the ongoing Champions Trophy. India and Pakistan last faced off in a Champions Trophy final in 2017, where Pakistan triumphed in a stunning upset. Despite India’s strong lineup, they were bowled out for just 158 runs while chasing a challenging 338, powered by a century from Fakhar Zaman. The memory of that loss is fresh for the Indian players, who will be eager to avenge it in this high-stakes encounter.
After winning the toss, Rizwan shared his thoughts: “It looks like a good surface, so we’ll bat first and aim to set a strong target. Every match in ICC events is crucial, so we’ll keep our approach steady. The team is familiar with these conditions, and we’ve done well here before. Fakhar Zaman is out, and Imam-ul-Haq is in for this match.”
India’s captain Rohit Sharma responded calmly, stating that his team was ready to bowl first. “It doesn’t really matter that they won the toss. We’ll bowl first. The surface is similar to the last match, a bit slower. Our batting unit is experienced, so we’re confident we can handle these conditions. We need a solid all-round performance from the team, with both bat and ball. The last game wasn’t easy, which is good because it tests us. We’re sticking with the same lineup for this match,” Rohit said.
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed