The most awaited match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played between India and Pakistan on February 23 (Sunday). This high-voltage match will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and cricket fans around the world are eagerly waiting for this great match.
Host Pakistan suffered a crushing defeat of 60 runs against New Zealand in its first match, while Team India defeated Bangladesh by 6 wickets in its first match. Now the Pakistan team would like to make a strong comeback against India. Pakistan has some match-winning players who can prove to be a threat to India. Let’s take a look at those 5 Pakistani players from whom Team India will have to be cautious.
Mohammad Rizwan
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan is the most reliable middle order batsman of the team. Although Rizwan could not do anything special in the first match against New Zealand, he can change the course of the match on the basis of his batting. Wicketkeeper batsman Rizwan is adept at playing spin and scores runs quickly in the middle overs.
Under his captaincy, Pakistan recently defeated Australia and South Africa in ODI series in their own home. He scored a brilliant century against South Africa in the Tri-Nation series, due to which Pakistan chased a big target.
Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan’s young batsman Salman Ali Agha is not only a good batsman, but he also has the skill of good spin bowling. In the first match against New Zealand, he scored 42 runs in 28 balls. The special thing is that Salman does not hesitate to bat aggressively against spinners and is an expert in playing big shots. In such a situation, Indian bowlers will have to stay away from him.
Babar Azam
Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam is counted among the top ODI batsmen in the world. Although his slow batting against New Zealand was criticized, when he gets into rhythm, he can change the course of any match. Recently, he equaled Hashim Amla in terms of scoring the fastest 6000 ODI runs. In the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy against India, he played an important innings of 46 runs in 52 balls.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
If there is anyone who is the biggest threat to the Indian top order, then it is Shaheen Shah Afridi. This left-arm fast bowler has troubled Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul many times. His swing and pace can become a problem for the batsmen. Although he had a bad day against New Zealand and returned without taking a wicket, Shaheen can make a comeback anytime and become a headache for the Indian batsmen.
Khusdil Shah
Khushdil Shah is one of the most explosive batsmen in Pakistan’s lower order. He played a brilliant innings of 69 runs in 49 balls against New Zealand, in which he scored a half-century in just 38 balls. He can play a similar innings against India and put Pakistan in a strong position. In such a situation, everyone’s eyes will be on Khushdil in the match against India.
