DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has won the coin toss and opted to bat first against India in their Group A game at the 2025 Champions Trophy on Sunday.
The arch rivals meet at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium despite Pakistan hosting the tournament, as India is playing its league games – and potential knockout matches – in the United Arab Emirates.
Indian cricket authorities have offered no formal statement about refusing to play in Pakistan, but some officials have suggested that the decision was based on security concerns.
Pakistan got off to a poor start in home conditions earlier on – it lost the opening game of the tournament against New Zealand by 60 runs. It faces a must-win situation against India today to stay alive in the tournament.
India won its opener against Bangladesh by six wickets in Dubai and will look to carry forward its winning momentum. Another win will confirm its spot in the semi-finals.
The last time these two sides met in the Champions Trophy was back in 2017, where Pakistan beat India in the final by 180 runs in London.
Pakistan has made one change – Fakhar Zaman is ruled out owing to an injury sustained in the opening game. Imam ul Haq is his replacement and comes into the playing eleven.
India has fielded an unchanged eleven.
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is expected to be slow in nature – a dual-paced surface that could aid both pacers and spinners as the game progresses. Evening dew could help the chasing side.
——
Line-ups:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
The Associated Press
