The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the highly anticipated India vs. Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match on February 23. Irfan Pathan, a former Indian all-rounder, discussed the strengths of both sides prior to this match, stating that India has an advantage over their bitter opponents because of their capacity to withstand pressure.
Pathan emphasized that the Men in Blue differ from Pakistan in that they have continuously displayed composure under pressure. He thinks that India’s recent results demonstrate their capacity to remain collected in trying circumstances, which will be essential in the forthcoming game.
“Look at Pakistan, they have a lot of issues with their team… Some of the older players don’t play that aggressive style of current cricket, particularly in white-ball cricket, in their opinion. Can they alter it, then? It’s really challenging. However, the India-Pakistan occasion is more important than the shortcomings and the positives. According to TOI, Pathan stated, “The team that manages the situation the best wins.”
Pakistan has to defeat India since only two teams from each group advance to the semifinals. Nonetheless, Pathan thinks Rohit Sharma’s team has the advantage because of India’s recent performance and capacity to execute in trying situations.
“Based on our recent experience with the India team, we are capable of managing both difficult circumstances and significant events.
We are much ahead in terms of talent, particularly in one-day cricket. As a team, we (India) have good all-around skills. We have a lot of alternatives, and Axar (Patel) is taking wickets,” he continued.
“I’m hoping that momentum continues… This squad will be unbeatable whenever Rohit and Virat continue to score runs regularly, and Shubman is in fantastic form. It’s excellent to see Mohammed Shami get fired. He will also gain a lot of confidence from it because, particularly for fast bowlers, returning to the pitch after an injury is difficult, but he performed well,” Pathan said.
In the meantime, the previous champions defeated Bangladesh by six wickets to get their campaign off to a great start. With KL Rahul’s vital assistance, Shubman Gill hit a match-winning century. Before India chased the mark with six wickets remaining, Mohammed Shami’s five-wicket haul made sure Bangladesh was limited to 229 runs.
However, a 60-run loss to New Zealand in Karachi marked the start of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign. Tom Latham’s (118*) and Will Young’s (107), as well as Glenn Phillips’ (61), centuries helped the Kiwis reach a massive total. After a poor batting performance, Pakistan was bowled out for 260 in response. To make matters worse, Imam-ul-Haq has been selected to replace opener Fakhar Zaman, who was ruled out of the competition due to an oblique tear.
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