India vs Pakistan, the clash of the two arch-rivals is set to take place on February 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. A much-awaited clash will be the 2nd game for both teams in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Both teams have started their campaigns on a different note. Team India won the first game against Bangladesh while New Zealand defeated the hosts Pakistan in a tournament opener.
Today, we will preview the India vs Pakistan game in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. We will see the expected playing XI of both teams, pitch and weather report, players to watch out for, head-to-head, and strengths and weaknesses of both teams. So let’s begin.
India vs Pakistan: The clash of the two arch-rivals
India vs Pakistan is always a high-pressure game for both teams. A lot of expectations are there from the fans of both countries. One of the main reasons of this rivalry is the diplomatic relation between the two countries. There are some genuine reasons behind that, one is cross-border terrorism. The Indian government has a firm stand regarding the Indian Cricket Team not traveling to Pakistan for any cricket game.
Those things make things even more fierce in the India vs Pakistan clash. The two teams only meet in the ICC tournaments or multi-nation tournaments like the Asia Cup.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India vs Pakistan, February 23, Dubai
Now, we will see the India vs Pakistan clash in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group Stage. Dubai will host the marquee clash on February 23. The game will start at 1:00 PM Local Time (2:30 PM IST).
Team India off to a good start in the CT 2025
Team India has started well in the Champions Trophy (CT) 2025. They won the first game against Bangladesh quite easily in the end. There are a few areas Team India will look to work on. They allow Bangladesh to reach 228 from 35-5, thanks to the catch drops and stumping chance miss. Another is when India lost 4 wickets in a shorter span. But all-n-all, they are looking good to go against Pakistan.
It could be a blessing in disguise for Team India to play a tight game against Bangladesh. They have tested almost all the resources in that game.
Strengths and Weaknesses for Team India
One of the biggest strengths of Team India is they bat deep. They have some in-form batters in the team, and their spinners can pick wickets in the middle overs.
Concerns for India
The only concern looks like for India is death-overs. If Pakistan bats well in the middle overs and doesn’t lose too many wickets, they can cash in the death overs. India is without Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh didn’t feature in the first game.
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Pakistan has more questions than the answer
Pakistan, on the other hand, is coming to this game after a humiliating loss against NZ. They lost the first game in Karachi, on a slightly sluggish wicket.
After winning the toss, PAK decided to bowl first. At one stage, they reduced NZ to 73 for 3. But, the bowlers didn’t continue that momentum and NZ batters went after them in the later part of the inning. They scored 320 in the first inning.
When Pakistan came out to chase the target, NZ bowlers didn’t allow them to break free. They bowled in the right areas and eventually won the game by 60 runs.
Positives for PAK
PAK has a decent bowling unit, and if they bowl well as a unit, they can restrict India to a small total.
Concerns for PAK
Babar Azam’s intent is a question mark for the fans and the experts. He is not scoring runs that create an impact in the game.
Also, Pakistan will be without Fakhar Zaman for the rest of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. They are already missing the services of an in-form batter Saim Ayub.
India vs Pakistan Head-to-Head (In CT)
In the CT, IND and PAK have faced each other five times. Pakistan are one game ahead, with 3 wins. India has also managed to win two games. The last time these two teams faced in CT was in the 2017 Final. Pakistan won that game by 180 runs.
Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch in Dubai is generally on the slower side. We have seen in the IND vs BAN game that the pitch got slower and slower as the game progressed. We can expect the same in the India vs Pakistan game as well.
As far as the toss is concerned, whoever team wins the toss will look to bat first. The weather will be good for cricket with no rain prediction.
Expected Playing XI
India
Why fix something that hasn’t been broken? Team India might go with the same team on the 23rd. The only change India can make is replacing Harshit Rana with Arshdeep Singh for a left-arm pace option. But, it is unlikely to happen as Rana has done well in the first game.
Predicted Playing XI: Shubman Gill (vc), Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami.
Pakistan
Imam ul Haq is likely to replace the injured Fakhar Zaman in the playing XI. The rest of the team is likely to be the same.
Predicted Playing XI: Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
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Players to watch out for
India
Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Kuldeep Yadav
Virat Kohli hasn’t been firing for a while. He hasn’t created much impact in the last few games, despite scoring a 50 in the 2nd ODI against England. He has a good record against Pakistan and will be one of the key players for India.
Shubman Gill is in form and will look to continue against Pakistan. Kuldeep also has a good record against Pakistan and will play a crucial role in the middle overs.
Pakistan
Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Babar Azam is misfiring. He has to step up now and what could be a better stage than India vs Pakistan? If he bats well at the top order, he can lay a foundation for the upcoming batters.
Shaheen can trouble Indian batters with the new ball. We have seen the vulnerability of Indian batters against left-arm pacers with the new ball. If Shaheen finds his rhythm, it will be trouble for the Indian top order.
CONCLUSION
So this is the preview of India vs Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The clash is one of the biggest in world cricket and all eyes will be on this clash on the 23rd. What do you think? Who will come out good in that game? Comment your prediction below.
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