The match has been referred to be the “mother of all battles” by Navjot Singh Sidhu, a former India batter and renowned cricketer. The Champions Trophy 2025 match between India and Pakistan is scheduled on February 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, this will be their first meeting in the 50-over format. The rivalry is made even more intriguing by the fact that neither nation has played a bilateral series since 2012.
A number of past cricket players who have participated in the rivalry have shared their feelings as the fever builds up for the exciting match. However, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi continued by saying that, like other young people, playing in an Indo-Pak match was his ambition.
“It is the battle’s mother. This is the biggest thing there is. I believe that everyone is held together by the tension. When 150 crore people are counting on you to win, they will never accept a loss. A culture of retaliation exists. This is a psychological game that is played more with the ears than the hands.
On JioHotstar’s Greatest Rivalry Returns, Navjot Singh Sidhu stated, “There is a lot of nervous energy out there, but the side that transforms it into positive energy will win.”
“An India-Pakistan match is a golden opportunity for a cricketer, especially for youngsters,” Afridi continued. My dream was always that. I had trouble sleeping the night before a game because I kept thinking about how I performed and how I couldn’t afford to lose this opportunity. Everything would be forgiven if I performed well in an India-Pakistan match, even if I hadn’t played well in the previous five or six games. This competition is that intense.
India and Pakistan have faced one other in 21 ICC events, with India defeating the bitter rivals 17 times and Pakistan winning only four. Their T20 World Cup 2007 league match stands out as the most remarkable since it changed the course of the rivalry by using a bowl-out to determine the winner.
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