Captain Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged Pakistan’s numerous mistakes in their six-wicket loss to India during the Champions Trophy 2025. Despite winning the toss, Pakistan faltered with a lackluster performance, managing only 241 runs. India’s bowlers excelled, led by spin, while Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century turned the tide in India’s favor. Rizwan criticized his team’s poor shot selection and fielding errors, which allowed India to dominate. With their chances of advancing in the tournament slim, Pakistan’s title defense is in jeopardy, and they must perform well in their upcoming match against Bangladesh to finish their campaign on a better note.
Mohammad Rizwan in action during Champions Trophy 2025© AFP
Captain Mohammad Rizwan admitted that Pakistan made several errors in their six-wicket loss to arch-rivals India during the crucial Champions Trophy match on Sunday in Dubai. Pakistan was in dire need of a victory against a strong Indian side to keep their fate in the tournament in their own hands. However, despite winning the toss, things unraveled for Pakistan. A lackluster performance with the bat combined with a disappointing bowling effort endangered their title defense. Conversely, India’s spinners managed to restrict Pakistan’s key players, while Virat Kohli controlled the chase with his unbeaten 51st ODI century. After falling short against their longstanding rival, Rizwan candidly assessed Pakistan’s performance.
“We won the toss, but we didn’t capitalize on it. Their (India) bowlers were exceptional. I wanted Saud Shakeel to play a long innings, but we made poor shot selections. They applied pressure on us. Losing means we didn’t perform consistently across all areas,” Rizwan stated during the post-match presentation.
After setting a modest target of 241 runs, Pakistan momentarily hoped for a comeback when Shaheen Afridi dismissed Indian captain Rohit Sharma in the powerplay.
However, that hope quickly dwindled as Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a 69-run partnership that broke Pakistan’s defensive spirit. A few missed catches further compounded Pakistan’s troubles, leading to yet another defeat against India in an ICC tournament.
“We aimed to create pressure, but we fell short. Kohli and Gill batted impressively and took control of the game. Our fielding needs significant improvement. We made numerous mistakes in this match,” Rizwan concluded.
Pakistan is nearly certain to end their Champions Trophy journey in the group stage. If New Zealand manages to outsmart Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday, it will spell a disappointing end for Pakistan’s title defense. The defending champions are set to play their final group-stage match against Bangladesh on Thursday in Rawalpindi.
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