Sport

Champions Trophy: Pakistan win toss, opt to bat first in must-win Dubai match against India – Sport

Rizwan-led team needs drastic turnaround as its defence looks in disarray after NZ defeat.

Pakistan has won the toss and elected to bat as they face off against arch-rivals India in their blockbuster Champions Trophy match against India in Dubai on Sunday.

Match summary: According to ESPN Cricinfo, today’s pitch has already been used before twice. For context, that India-Bangladesh game was played on a fresh pitch and that slowed down significantly as the game went on. Both teams will want to maximise the powerplay because when the field spreads, it’s going to be really hard to score. The long straight boundary is 81m. Even square boundaries are 70m both. Indian commentator Sunil Gavaskar says it won’t be easy to hit sixes here, and his feeling is 270 could be a score that could be defended.

Live coverage

Pacer Mohammad Shami is going to bowl the fist over.

Shami was the pick of the bowlers for India in their last match against Bangladesh, picking up a five-wicket haul.

Imam is on strike. Godspeed team Green. As Shami was charging in for the first delivery, the crowd roars.

The national anthems are being played. The guests first, then the hosts. It’s a balmy 31C day, with humidity in the 40 per cent range. The temperature is high, and not least because of the heat that comes with a Pakistan-India match.

Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan (C) and his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma (R) look on after the toss before the start of the ICC Champions Trophy one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Pakistan and India at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on February 23, 2025. — AFP

Pakistan have one change since their last match against New Zealand, with Imam-ul-Haq replacing Fakhar Zaman as the latter has been ruled out of the tournament after being injured in Pakistan’s opening match in Karachi.

The Rohit Sharma-led side are unchanged since their last encounter against Bangladesh at the same stadium, which they won by six wickets.

refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy citing government advice, will be playing all their matches in Dubai and kicked off their Group ‘A’ campaign with a six-wicket victory against Bangladesh.

The rivals last met in an ODI at the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad, with hosts India winning by seven wickets.

India know a victory will put them in sight of the semi-finals, while Pakistan are playing for survival in the tournament after their loss to New Zealand in the opener.

Source Link