'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
India will face off against Pakistan in Match 5 of the 2025 Champions Trophy on Sunday, February 23. The contest will be played out at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The Men in Blue are in excellent form right now and beat Bangladesh by a six-wicket margin to get their tournament off to a winning start. They have no real reason to make any changes to their combination and are expected to field a similar side against their arch-rivals.
India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
Trending
On that note, here is India's predicted playing XI for Match 5 of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c) and Shubman Gill
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill made valuable contributions against Bangladesh. While the Indian skipper got the team off to a fast start in slightly challenging conditions, Gill anchored the chase with a superlative century. The duo can be expected to deal with the threat of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah with aggression and panache.
Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel
There are a few concerns surrounding Virat Kohli's form. The superstar batter has had his troubles against spin and appeared uncomfortable at the crease against Bangladesh. Playing Pakistan generally brings the best out of him, and India will hope that he can be back among the runs.
The rest of India's middle order picks itself. Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel are all guaranteed to play against Pakistan, with Axar likely to be used as a floater against Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah and Salman Agha.
Rishabh Pant, down with viral fever, was unlikely to feature even if he was fit and available. The same goes for Washington Sundar.
Lower Order: Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami
Interestingly, India picked Harshit Rana ahead of Arshdeep Singh against Bangladesh. The young fast bowler picked up three wickets to justify his selection and will be key against Pakistan as well, although having a left-armer could help the Men in Blue. Arshdeep has done well against this opposition in the past, albeit in a different format, but a change might not be forthcoming.
Mohammed Shami will lead the pace attack once again, while Kuldeep Yadav will look to break his slightly slow return from injury with a decisive performance. Varun Chakaravarthy remains an enticing option, but India are bound to persist with the left-arm wrist-spinner for now.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025, ICC Champions Trophy India Schedule, India Squad ICC Champions Trophy, ICC Champions Trophy Schedule
