The highly anticipated cricket match between India and Pakistan took place during the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, marking the first encounter in over a decade outside international competitions. Despite the fierce rivalry, Indian player Virat Kohli and Pakistani captain Babar Azam shared a warm moment before the game. Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat as they sought to remain in the tournament following a loss to New Zealand. India, having won their previous match against Bangladesh, fielded an unchanged team. Both teams aimed to secure a spot in the semi-finals, intensifying the match’s significance.
The showdown between India and Pakistan is regarded as one of the most awaited matches in the cricket world. The two teams have not engaged in a bilateral series for over a decade, with their encounters limited to international tournaments. Despite the fierce rivalry between the teams and their supporters, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam shared a touching moment during their Champions Trophy 2025 match in Dubai on Sunday. As Pakistan took to the crease, Virat and Babar exchanged a brief conversation, with Virat giving Babar a friendly pat on the back before the match commenced.
Picture of the Day
Babar Azam and Virat Kohli. #PAKvIND #ChampionsTrophy #INDvsPAK #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/N6XPNFicD3
— Subash (@SubbuSubash_17) February 23, 2025
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to bat in a much-anticipated Champions Trophy match against India on Sunday, as his team seeks to remain competitive in the tournament.
Virat Kohli with Babar Azam before the match kicks off in Dubai…!!!
– A stunning photo pic.twitter.com/myDRW6pFQX
— ANSH • (@Anshy9451) February 23, 2025
A full stadium was anticipated for the highly awaited Group A match at the 25,000-seat Dubai International Stadium, which serves as India’s base for the 50-over tournament after they declined to visit Pakistan due to political strains.
Virat Kohli and Babar Azam sharing the field before the match begins! #ViratKohli #BabarAzam #INDvPAK #PAKvIND #ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/TXxPGnwiI8
— Saabir Zafar (@Saabir_Saabu01) February 23, 2025
The defending champions Pakistan lost their opening match against New Zealand, and another defeat would nearly eliminate their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
Imam-ul-Haq is joining the Pakistan squad in place of Fakhar Zaman, who is sidelined from the tournament due to injury.
India secured a hard-earned victory in their opening match versus Bangladesh and head into this pivotal clash with no changes in the lineup.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma stated, “It doesn’t really matter that they (Pakistan) won the toss, so we’ll bowl first.”
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
Teams
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
(With inputs from AFP)
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