Watch cricket video highlights of Champion’s Trophy 2025 fifth Match 2025. Between India and Pakistan. Venue of the match will be Lahore.
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Preview
India preferred to bowl first in their inaugural match against Bangladesh, but considering how the pitch became sluggish and the absence of dew, it’s unlikely any team will make that error in Dubai again. Anticipate teams to capitalize on the powerplay before the middle overs start to bind them up. It’s difficult to foresee a shift in this pattern on pitches that were recently utilized for an entire T20 tournament. There’s no need for India to alter their team structure or player lineup.
Imam-ul-Haq has joined the squad as a substitute for the one explosive opener that Pakistan had, Fakhar Zaman. Usman Khan is another backup batter, but if he does make his ODI debut, he will need to do so in a role he’s not accustomed to: he typically bats in the No. 4 position in List A cricket. Salman Agha has been a beacon of hope for Pakistan in their recent ODI endeavors. Since 2024, he has accumulated the second-highest runs in the middle overs for Pakistan: 325 runs, with an average of 65.00 and a strike rate of 88.07.
Pakistan will rely heavily on his resourcefulness during the middle overs as India seeks to restrict them with their slower bowlers. Virat Kohli has been dismissed by legspin in each of his last five encounters with that type of bowling. That’s a total of five dismissals for just 21 runs off 46 balls of legspin he has faced in ODIs. Although Pakistan doesn’t have a traditional legspinner in their lineup, Abrar Ahmed can turn the ball both ways like one.
Nowadays, most batsmen can hit big on flat pitches, but here skillful singles without taking risks will be crucial. It’s not difficult to envision India needing precisely that in one of these matches. Will the former Kohli make an appearance? If Pakistan ever required a miracle, it is now. Through no fault of their players, they find themselves sidelined in international cricket, leading to this being the first ICC event they are hosting in nearly 30 years.
Just three days into the Champions Trophy, after a crushing defeat by New Zealand, they are already facing the possibility of an early exit from an event they have waited three decades to host. To remain competitive in the tournament, Pakistan needs to defeat their long-time rivals on a slow and tired pitch, where India has already played and secured a victory, and has five spinners at their disposal.
Due to circumstances beyond India’s players’ control, Pakistan must leave their own celebration and head to Dubai, as India chose not to travel to Pakistan for reasons that neither their board nor their government has clarified. Would anyone blame Pakistan for feeling besieged when they must even strive to restore their nation’s name in the official broadcasting? During such times, the motives behind any such exclusion can appear malevolent, even if that may not be the case.
This creates a peculiar dynamic between the two teams. Despite the surrounding tensions, the players maintain a mutual respect and civility that tends to frustrate those who desire animosity to manifest on the field. The tension might also stem from the disparity between the two teams. As is typical for a team left isolated, Pakistan, which once led the way in innovation within Asia, now finds itself falling significantly behind, particularly in limited-overs cricket.
India, which used to be known for accumulating runs but not always winning, is now continually aiming to advance into the future. In an age where the ICC deliberately arranges its tournament schedules to ensure at least one significant India-Pakistan match, it is noteworthy that Pakistan has only triumphed in 2017 and 2021 since 2011. Beyond the consistent four-year trend of victories, Pakistan will regard the playing conditions with some optimism.
The sluggish surfaces in Dubai, recently utilized for the ILT20, suggest a classic style of play that could somewhat diminish India’s significant hitting power in the middle overs. With minimal dew—1 pm starts significantly reduce the likelihood of dew being a factor—the toss on these surfaces holds considerable importance. Under similar circumstances the previous year, Sri Lanka managed to outplay India in a home bilateral series with an unexpected spin attack. They won the tosses, batted first, and scored mid-200 totals in each match. Pakistan will be hopeful for a similar outcome, but India will also draw on the insights they have gained.
