Don’t be friendly with Indian players in Champions Trophy 2025: Moin Khan

On February 23, India and Pakistan will face off in the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Along with Bangladesh and New Zealand, the bitter rivals are grouped together in Group A.

In the lead-up to the next match between Indian and Pakistan, former wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan has called the camaraderie between the two sides “unfathomable.” Because the players are too “friendly” with one another, the intensity of India-Pakistan matches has significantly decreased in recent years, according to the cricketer-turned-expert.

These days, when I watch a Pakistan-India match, I simply don’t understand why our players examine their bats, pat them and engage in nice conversation as the Indian players enter the crease. I can’t comprehend the conduct of our players when they play India these days. “As professionals, you have to have boundaries even off the pitch,” the former head coach and chief selector stated on a podcast hosted by actor Ushna Shah.

Khan remembered how his senior Pakistani cricket players told the younger players not to talk to the Indian players during games because they believed it was a show of weakness to be too nice.

“Our mentors have always advised us to give Indian no quarter and to avoid even speaking to them on the pitch while we are playing against them.

They perceive it as a sign of weakness when you get nice. I believe our players are unaware of this, but being overly amiable is interpreted as a sign of weakness on the pitch, which puts pressure on your performance’, he continued.

Players from both sides have not displayed a great deal of hostility on the pitch, hence India and Pakistan have played each other amicably since 2016. Amidst the matches, Virat Kohli has been observed engaging in light-hearted chats with the Pakistani players. There have also been no indications of animosity from Babar Azam and company against the Indian cricket players.

However, India-Pakistan matches remain a big draw in the sport, even with the recent development of good relations between the players from the two sides. In the previous Champions Trophy, which Pakistan won in 2017, they participated in the finals. Supporters are eager to see the most recent development in the fierce rivalry between the two bordering countries.