"Don’t confuse Pakistan’s previous batting innings to this one" - R Ashwin defends cautious batting template in IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match

Former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin defended Pakistan's tentative batting approach in the 2025 Champions Trophy group stage match against India at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, February 23. The Men in Green had a decent powerplay, but a double strike by India forced the opposition into their shells in the middle overs.

Pakistan struggled for rhythm and tempo in their opening match of the campaign against New Zealand. Playing with a makeshift batting unit, they struggled in the run chase in Karachi. The hosts scored only 22 runs in the first powerplay, and struggled for the majority of the middle overs too.

A similar conundrum followed Pakistan in the ongoing clash against their arch-rivals. Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel struggled to rotate strike against pace and spin alike, as India piled on the pressure.

Ashwin, however, opined that Pakistan's recent batting performances cannot be compared as they are currently playing on a slow and sluggish track in Dubai compared to the batting-friendly pitch in Karachi.

"Tired pitches in Dubai, don’t confuse Pakistan’s previous batting innings to this one. Wasn’t the easiest of chases in the last game here," Ashwin wrote on X.

Former India player Mohammed Kaif had also highlighted the glaring difference between conditions in Pakistan and Dubai ahead of the high-octane clash.

"The average first innings score is approximately 198 in Dubai in the last 10 games. Batting is tough there. So, India need to bat well to win the match.""But, it’s easy to bat in Pakistan. In the last 10 games, the average first-innings score is nearly 300 [298], and in Dubai, it’s nearly 200," Kaif had mentioned on his YouTube channel.

The first match played at the Dubai International Stadium in the Champions Trophy between India and Bangladesh saw a similar flow in the middle overs. The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side had to struggle to get 228 after an early collapse, while India also lost their way in the run chase during the middle overs.

Pakistan did not score a boundary for 55 deliveries in the middle over phase

The Men in Green took a while to recover after India struck twice in two overs to remove Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq towards the end of the powerplay. Shakeel scored a cheeky boundary off Axar Patel to kickstart the 16th over. However, the team had to wait for more than nine overs to get their next boundary.

Mohammad Rizwan scored a sweep shot off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling in the 25th over to end the dry patch. Pakistan have ramped up the tempo a touch since then, and as of writing, they are placed at 129-2 after 30 overs.