3 lessons India can learn from 2017 final defeat ahead of IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy clash

Team India's white-ball dominance over a decade has not seen any major blips, barring the heartbreaks in ICC events. While each heartbreak has been devastating in its own right, there are several compelling reasons to believe that the 2017 Champions Trophy final loss against Pakistan rises above the rest.

A 180-run loss in the finals against the arch-rivals after entering the match as favorites is something that cannot be erased from memory, while the constant reminders do not help. India have never lost an ODI to Pakistan since then, winning five out of the last six, with one match being washed out.

The two sides come face to face yet again in the group stage of the Champions Trophy 2025. The match will take place on Sunday, February 23 at the Dubai International Stadium.

On that note, let us take a look at three lessons India can learn from the 2017 final defeat ahead of the IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy clash.

#1 Always be wary of the Pakistan pace attack irrespective of the batters' form

The Indian team in the 2017 Champions Trophy sported an in-form star-studded batting unit. The batting unit was made up of the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli at the top, followed by veterans Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, and the all-rounders. The batters were on song, being among the runs before and during the tournament before the Pakistan pace attack ruthlessly dismantled them at The Oval.

Team India head into the clash against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 on a similar note. Shubman Gill is the No.1 ranked ODI batter, the middle-order is stacked with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul forming a solid backbone.

The on-paper invincible look of the Indian batting unit may come crashing down if they do not deal with the opposition pacers. The Indian seamers recently showed that the pacers can also have a say on the slow Dubai wicket, and the trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah will not be far behind.

Furthermore, the pace trio have troubled the Indian batters in the past too on select occasions, and have enough prowess to be deemed as a certified threat regardless of form and conditions.

#2 Consider all factors before making a decision at the toss

Team India have a cruel history when it comes to winning tosses in big matches. Whether it be the 1996 ODI World Cup semi-final, the 2003 ODI World Cup Final, or even the 2017 Champions Trophy Final. In the latter, skipper Kohli opted to bowl first, leading to Pakistan piling up 338-4.

Fakhar Zaman recorded a historic ton to set up a solid foundation from which the Men in Blue never managed to recover. Former batting coach Sanjay Bangar has gone on to admit that the think tank made a grave error by choosing to bowl first.

Team India must be wary of the pros and cons of their decisions at the toss on this particular occasion as well. The first match in Dubai had several indicators, but the absence of dew on that occasion suggests that there is no outright, dominant call. The pressure of the contest could also play a huge factor in the decision at the toss.

#3 Team selection

Team India had started with Umesh Yadav in the bowling attack in the 2017 Champions Trophy. He was the pick of the bowlers in the win over Pakistan in the group stage. But, India changed their strategy midway through the campaign.

The Men in Blue were satisfied with five bowling options, out of which two were all-rounders, while Kedar Jadhav was the sixth bowling. The ploy to bring in Ravichandran Ashwin worked well for the group-stage clash against South Africa, but it was a fatal mistake. The spinner finished with figures of 0-70 while even his favorable match-up against left-handed Fakhar Zaman backfired severely.

India must therefore be careful while considering the playing XI for the upcoming clash against Pakistan. Despite the solid win over Bangladesh in the first match, the playing XI is arguably not an iron-clad one. There is a good case made by players on the bench like Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy in place of Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav respectively.

It remains to be seen whether India chooses to stick with a winning combination or not resist the temptation to shake things up. Either way, as long as the choices are justified, it should help India.