Picking a combined India-Pakistan playing 11 ahead of IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy clash ft. Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam

India and Pakistan will play a highly anticipated marquee match in Dubai on February 23, 2025. While India comfortably beat Bangladesh in their first match of Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan struggled as a unit and went down to New Zealand in their first match.

The match against India is a do-or-die encounter for the defending champions. Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017 by beating India in the final by 180 runs at the Oval.

On that note, here is a combined India-Pakistan playing 11 ahead of the encounter in Dubai:

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#Top order - Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubnman Gill and Virat Kohli

It is tough to look beyond the top three of the Indian team in this playing 11. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill have tasted stupendous success in the ODI format. Rohit breached the 11,000 run mark in ODIs in the match against Bangladesh. He is now the 10th-highest run-getter in the history of ODIs.

The right-hander can score big hundreds in the 50-over format and has scored three double-centuries. He is one of the modern-day legends in ODI cricket and has an astounding strike rate of 92.75 in 261 ODI innings. He will captain this team.

Shubhman Gill has been in sublime touch in ODI cricket recently. In his last four ODI innings, he has breached the 50-run mark on all occasions, two of which have been hundreds.

In 51 ODI innings, the opener averages a healthy 62.51 and has an impressive strike rate of 100.79. In his brief ODI career, Gill has already scored eight ODI hundreds and 15 half-centuries.

Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill will be the openers of this combined team- Source: Getty

Virat Kohli has been phenomenal in ODI cricket. He has the distinction of scoring the most centuries in the ODI format (50). He is the third-highest run-getter in the history of ODIs and has scored runs around the globe in the said format.

In 286 ODI innings, the former Indian skipper has scored 13,985 runs at an average of 57.78 and is a consistent run-getter in the format. He will bat at number three in this team.

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#Middle order - Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Axar Patel, and Salman Ali Agha

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will bat at number four and five in this combined 11 - Source: Getty

Babar Azam will be the designated number four. The former Pakistan skipper has a tremendous record in ODIs and has been the mainstay of the team for a long period. In 124 ODI innings, Azam has scored 6083 runs at an average of 55.81 with 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries.

It would be a dream come true for cricket fans to watch Kohli and Babar bat together at number three and four respectively in an ODI match.

Rizwan, the current Pakistan skipper, will be the wicketkeeper-batter in this playing XI. Rizwan is a gutsy player and has been consistent in the 50-over format for Pakistan in the middle-order. He averages a healthy 42.1 in 78 ODI innings and has scored four ODI centuries. He is a safe bet as a keeper and the perfect number five in this team.

Axar Patel has grown leaps and bounds as a cricketer in the past couple of years. He primarily started as a bowling all-rounder, however, in the recent past he is more than handy with the bat across all formats.

In 64 ODIs, the all-rounder has bagged 69 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 4.51. He can control the run flow and pick up wickets in the middle-order. With the bat, he has a strike rate of 94.60 in 43 ODI innings and has scored three half-centuries.

Salman Ali Agha's stock as a limited-overs cricketer is rising each day. He has had a solid start to his ODI career and is growing from strength to strength with his all-round abilities. In 27 ODI innings with the bat, he averages 45.57 and has an impressive strike rate of 99.38 along with one century and five half-centuries.

He is a handy off-spinner and has picked up 16 ODI wickets and will be the second all-rounder along with Axar Patel in this playing XI.

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# Lower order- Shaheen Afridi, Kuldeep Yadav, Naseem Shah and Mohammed Shami

Afridi is currently in the fifth position as per the ICC ODI bowling rankings. He can pick up wickets with the new ball and has a good track record in ODIs. The left-arm pacer has picked up 125 ODI wickets at an average of 24.17. He has an economy rate of below six which is acceptable in today's day and age of ODI cricket.

Kuldeep Yadav has been an integral part of the Indian ODI outfit. He is a consistent performer in the said format and a match-winner with the ball in the middle overs. Kuldeep, with his left-arm wrist spin, has picked up 174 ODI wickets to date at an average of 26.47 and an exceptional economy rate of 4.99. He is currently ranked fourth according to the ICC ODI bowling rankings.

Naseem Shah has had an impressive start to his brief ODI career. In 24 ODIs, he has bagged 47 wickets and can pick up wickets in a heap. The 22-year-old pacer has an impressive average of 23.09 in ODI cricket and is likely to spearhead the Pakistan bowling attack in the years to come.

Mohammed Shami is the fastest Indian to pick up 200 ODI wickets - Source: Getty

Mohammed Shami has been impressive in ODI cricket and especially in ICC tournaments. In India's opening encounter against Bangladesh, Shami became the fastest Indian and overall the third fastest to pick up 200 ODI wickets. He achieved this feat in just 104 ODIs.

Shami has been exceptional in ODI cricket and averages an impressive 23.64 with the ball. He is equally effective with both the new and old ball in ODI cricket and is a force to reckon with in the death overs.