3 things Pakistan can learn from the current Indian ODI team after 2025 Champions Trophy exit

India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by six wickets in their second match of Group A of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, February 23. The Men in Blue ensured their qualification into the semifinals of the tournament with this win while the hosts were knocked out of it.

Pakistan will be sorely disheartened with this result given that it came at the hands of their most avowed opponents. It also showed them the exit door of a tournament they were the defending champions of, and had been given the prestige of hosting. Interestingly, they had beaten India in the 2017 final.

The Men in Green will have to think long and hard as to what led to such a disastrous result - this was their second loss in a row after they were beaten by New Zealand in their opening encounter on February 19.

They can, if they are modest about it, pick up quite a few things from India on how to go about white-ball cricket. We take a look at three things that Pakistan can learn from the current Indian ODI team:

#3 Focus on stability

One of the reasons why India has become such a dominant white-ball side of late is due to their focus on stability.

This is something that Pakistan clearly lack, and that they ought to be focusing on as they now build towards the 2027 ODI World Cup. Being knocked out of the Champions Trophy will hurt, but the Shaheens cannot let it affect them too much, and work, instead towards the future.

For this stability to come, the management has to show faith in the coach and captain and not chop and change them too often. Pakistan have become renowned for showing too little trust in their coaches, especially if they are foreigners, and the result is there for everyone to see.

India, on the other hand, imbibes the word 'stability' more than perhaps any other international side. The Indian XI that played Pakistan in Dubai had nine players who were a part of the 2023 ODI World Cup which they lost to Australia in the final (Harshit Rana and Axar Patel were the new additions).

Their hosts, on the other hand, had four new additions to the squad that played in the World Cup. This means that despite less than two years passing by, they have already lost stability, and also have a new captain (Mohammad Rizwan).

#2 Not relying too much on one player

Virat Kohli following India's victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

India have consistently shown that they do not rely too much on any player, and this has come to fruition for them in most ICC tournaments of late. Be it their splendid showing in the 2023 ODI World Cup, when they fell at the final hurdle, or their title-winning 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, India have reigned supreme.

Although they have superstars such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami in their ranks, the Men in Blue have not had to rely on only one of them to see them through challenging times. While Kohli was the star with the bat against Pakistan, Shami and Shubman Gill led the way against Bangladesh earlier.

Pakistan will have to create a culture in which players take more responsibility and do not leave too much for the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan or Shaheen Afridi to do. If such an atmosphere gets created, the Shaheens will be able to develop into a fine white-ball team in the future.

#1 Trust in seniors

India showed that although their seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were struggling with the bat against the red ball, they were not thrown under the bus in white-ball cricket. This showed that the selectors were keen on trusting the senior players in the team and giving them the responsibility to lead them forward.

Such trust in the senior players also gives them the added motivation to do well and guide the youngsters, and this is a trait sorely lacking in Pakistan cricket of late. Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, perhaps the best Pakistani cricketers of their generation, know all too well how poorly their selectors think of them.

For instance, the way Babar Azam has been treated of late, firstly being removed from being captain, then being dropped from the Test team before being asked to open the innings in ODIs, is simply not fair to a player of such high esteem.

If Pakistan continues to treat their senior players in such a haphazard manner, it will hamper their growth and prevent them from showcasing their true potential to the world. The selectors and management need to sit down and decide how they wish to go forward and how big a role the seniors are going to play in the team.