"Goes under the radar" - Aakash Chopra picks players to watch out for from both sides in IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy clash

Former India player Aakash Chopra has picked four players each from India and Pakistan to watch out for in their 2025 Champions Trophy clash. He included Shreyas Iyer among the key Indian players, highlighting that the middle-order batter goes under the radar despite his consistent performances.

India will lock horns with Pakistan in their second Group A game in Dubai on Sunday, February 23. Shreyas scored 15 runs off 17 deliveries in the Men in Blue's six-wicket win in their 2025 Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh at the same venue three days ago (February 20).

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the cricketer-turned-commentator chose Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer as the Men in Blue batters to watch out for.

"One is Shubman Gill. The sort of form he is in, you want him to continue in the same vein. He has scored two successive centuries and understands the pulse of ODI cricket. The realization has also started to come that the kid in the house has not only got a job but also got promoted," he said (13:50).

"The second player, who goes under the radar, I am saying Shreyas Iyer. He is someone who has consistently been playing well. He got out early in the last match but if the pitch becomes slightly slow in the middle overs and the ball starts getting stuck a little, part-time spin will be on, I will be focussing a lot on Shreyas Iyer because he is a very good player," Chopra added.

Chopra picked Hardik Pandya as another key player for India because of his all-round skills.

"My clutch player as always is Hardik Pandya. His cutters will work very well on this pitch. He is your third fast bowler and you want to bowl a little more fast bowling against Pakistan. In batting, I don't think we will win the match without losing three wickets. I feel we will need Hardik Pandya, whether we bat first or later," he elaborated.

Aakash Chopra named Mohammed Shami as the Indian bowler to watch out for in Sunday's game. The veteran seamer registered figures of 5/53 in 10 overs in Rohit Sharma and company's win against the Bangla Tigers.

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"There is a threat from Babar Azam" - Aakash Chopra on Pakistan players to watch out for in IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy clash

Babar Azam scored 64 runs off 90 deliveries in Pakistan's 2025 Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra chose Babar Azam among the Pakistan players to watch out for in the 2025 Champions Trophy clash against India.

"I won't rule out Babar. People are criticizing him a lot and are saying he hasn't scored a hundred for 65 innings but he hasn't become the fastest to 6000 ODI runs just like that. His average is still very good. So there is a threat from Babar Azam," he said (15:30).

The analyst opined that Mohammad Rizwan could be the other big threat to India in Pakistan's batting department.

"There is a big threat from Mohammad Rizwan as well. I rate him very highly. He has got the game for slow wickets. He is a fighter. He goes after you and he is very good. So I will look towards Rizwan attentively," Chopra observed.

Chopra picked Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed as the key bowlers in the defending champions' lineup.

"I rate Salman Agha highly but I am going to pick two bowlers. One is Shaheen Afridi because he is tall and I feel he is going to bowl a lot of slower balls. Last but not the least - Abrar. He is quality and is mystery as well. You can neither sweep him nor step out against him. He will outwit you very easily if you don't read him from the hand," he reasoned.

Afridi went wicketless and conceded 68 runs in 10 overs in Pakistan's 2025 Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand. Abrar registered figures of 1/47 in 10 overs in the same game.