New Delhi: India will take on Pakistan in the fifth match of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, February 23. Rizwan and Co. lost their opening match against New Zealand by 6 wickets while The Men in Blue defeated Bangladesh by 6 wickets in their first match of the tournament.
Pakistan need to win their encounter against India to keep their Champions Trophy campaign alive while a victory against the defending champions will almost confirm the semifinal spot for the Men in Blue. India and Pakistan have played 135 ODI matches against each other, Out of the 135 ODIs, The Men in Blue have won 57 while Pakistan have emerged victorious in 73 games while matches five matches ended in no result.
What happened when India and Pakistan last met in the Champions Trophy?
Pakistan defeated India by 180 runs in the final clash of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at the Kennington Oval in London on Sunday, June 18. Defending a massive target of 338 runs, Pakistan restricted a star-studded Indian batting line-up to 158 runs in 30.3 overs to lift their maiden Champions Trophy.
Mohammad Amir removed the Indian top order cheaply, dismissing Rohit Sharma (0), Virat Kohli (5) and Shikhar Dhawan (21). Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya stitched an 80-run partnership for the seventh wicket but it didn’t help India to cross the line. Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman smashed his maiden ODI hundred after being caught off a no-ball in the innings’ fourth over, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.
Apart from Zaman (114), Azhar Ali (59), Mohammad Hafeez (57 not out) and Babar Azam (46) also contributed with the bat for the team. Pakistan lost their tournament opener against India but looked a completely different side in the final. The Men in Blue played to their potential throughout the tournament but struggled against the disciplined Pakistani batting lineup and failed to utilise the conditions completely. Fielders made several mistakes in the outfield while bowlers failed to deliver in the crucial match Pakistan managed to score a massive total.
Put into bat, Pakistan got off to a perfect start as openers Azhar and Zaman forged a 128-run partnership in 23 overs before a running mix-up cost Pakistan a wicket. India got a much-needed breakthrough in the form of Azhar. Zaman, who got a lifeline at three runs by pacer Jasprit Bumrah, continued to play attacking shots and completed his century in 92 balls through a sweep at the square leg.
He added 72 runs for the second wicket with Babar Azam, Zaman tried to shift the gears but Hardik Pandya dismissed him. After Zaman’s dismissal, Babar took the charge and played freely. Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Malik as Kedar Jadhav took a simple catch at the deep cover in the 40th over. Middle-order batsman Mohammad Hafeez then joined Babar but the pair only managed to stitch a 20-run partnership for the fourth wicket. In the last few overs, Hafeez and Imad Wasim thrashed Indian bowlers and forged a 71-run partnership as Pakistan posted 338 runs total on the board which Virat and Co. failed to chase down.
India will face Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on February 23. Take a look at what happened when both teams last met in the Champions Trophy. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
