3 player battles to watch out for in India vs Pakistan, Match 5 of 2025 Champions Trophy ft. Shubman Gill vs Shaheen Afridi

The blockbuster India-Pakistan match of the 2025 Champions Trophy is set to be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23. While the Men in Green are the hosts of the ICC event, they will have to travel to Dubai to take on their arch-rivals.

Apart from leaving their home turf for the encounter, Pakistan have a lot more to worry about as they look to stay afloat in the competition following a 60-run defeat to New Zealand in the opening encounter. It would be all but over for Mohammad Rizwan and company if they stumble against Rohit Sharma's men.

India, on the other hand, kicked off their campaign with a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh. The Men in Blue appear to be firm favorites, especially considering their recent record against Pakistan.

Pakistan's 180-run win over India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final remains the team's solitary ODI win against India since 2015. However, the Mohammed Rizwan-led side's chances cannot be discounted as they will come out all guns blazing to stay in contention for a spot in the semifinals.

While India claimed a win in their first match of the tournament, they still have a lot of boxes to tick. Dropped catches and the underwhelming form of Virat Kohli are something they would look to overcome in the upcoming clash.

For Pakistan, their bowling looked off-color in their opening match and they would want their premier pacers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf to be at their best. To make matters worse, they will be without senior batter Fakhar Zaman as he has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. Left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq has replaced him in the squad.

India and Pakistan have faced each other five times in the Champions Trophy, out of which the latter have emerged victorious thrice. The two teams have squared off twice in Dubai (ODIs), both of which were won by India.

Ahead of the marquee IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match, let's look at three important match-ups.

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3 player battles to watch out for in India vs Pakistan, 2025 Champions Trophy

#1 Shubman Gill (India) vs Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)

Team India opener Shubman Gill has been on an imperious run in ODI cricket lately. The right-handed batter will come into the match with four consecutive 50-plus scores in the format.

He was the Player of the Match in the side's win against Bangladesh for his stunning unbeaten 101-run knock. The 25-year-old is also currently the No. 1 ranked batter in ODIs.

Pakistan's pace bowling spearhead Shaheen Afridi could be Mohammad Rizwan's best bet against the in-form player. The left-arm seamer has dismissed Gill twice in three ODIs. The Indian batter averages just 14.50 against Shaheen.

While Shaheen has dismissed Gill in their previous two battles, the opening batter dominated the proceedings in the 2023 Asia Cup, hitting six fours off the fast bowler. Their contest at the 2025 Champions Trophy is expected to be mouthwatering for the viewers.

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#2 Mohammed Shami (India) vs Babar Azam (Pakistan)

Leading India's pace attack in Jasprit Bumrah's absence, Mohammed Shami once again proved his worth by claiming a splendid five-wicket haul against Bangladesh. It was the veteran bowler's sixth fifer in the format, the most by an Indian.

Shami has been a reliable performer in big tournaments and his record speaks for itself. With 74 wickets, he is India's leading wicket-taker in ICC events. He could pose a big challenge for Pakistan's ace batter Babar Azam with his incoming deliveries.

The incoming ball has troubled Babar on several occasions and has been a weakness for him. Shami, with his upright seam position, could look to bring the ball back into the top-order batter with swing or seam.

Babar scored 64 runs against New Zealand but at an underwhelming strike rate of 71.11. He will be under pressure to improve his scoring rate. He has also struggled to make a significant impact as an opener, scoring 152 runs across six innings at an average of 25.33. Considering these points, it won't be an easy task for him against Shami.

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#3 Virat Kohli (India) vs Abrar Ahmed (Pakistan)

India's star batter Virat Kohli's form has been a big talking point ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The seasoned campaigner played a scratchy 22-run knock against Bangladesh before perishing to Rishad Hossain.

Kohli's leg spin woes have haunted him in the past few games. He has been out to leg spinners five times in as many outings since the 2023 ODI World Cup. Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed could be Mohammad Rizwan's trump card against the former India captain.

Ahmed hasn't bowled to Kohli yet but he will fancy his chances, considering the talismanic batter's recent struggles against wrist spin. With that said, the Indian batter has a fantastic ODI record against Pakistan, amassing 678 runs in 16 games at an average of 52.15.