What happened the last time India played an international game in Pakistan? 

Team India will play all their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This comes after the Indian government didn't allow the Men in Blue to travel to Pakistan, citing security reasons.

The UAE was confirmed as the neutral venue for the Champions Trophy after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman met with a UAE minister.

The all-important India vs Pakistan clash will be played on February 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Alongside the Men in Green, Bangladesh and New Zealand are also part of India's group. Rohit Sharma and company will square off against Bangladesh on February 20, and New Zealand on March 2.

According to the schedule released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), if India make it to the final, it will be played in the UAE. Otherwise, Lahore will host the final on March 9.

The Men in Blue will once again miss out on an opportunity to play in Pakistan. The last time they played in the neighboring country was during the 2008 Asia Cup. They reached the final before losing out to Sri Lanka by a mammoth 100 runs in Karachi.

India won the toss in that match and elected to field first. The decision backfired as Sanath Jayasuriya tormented Indian bowlers with a breathtaking century. Although wickets tumbled on from the other end, Jayasuriya never lost momentum and went on about his business with perfection.

The southpaw got an able partner in Tilakratne Dilshan (56) in the middle order. The pair added 131 runs for the fifth wicket before Virender Sehwag dismissed the dangerous-looking Jayasuriya. The left-hander smashed 125 runs off 114 balls, including nine boundaries and five sixes. By the time he got out, the scoreboard read 197/5 in 35.3 overs.

Chaminda Vaas (19) and Nuwan Kulasekara (29) also made useful contributions in the lower order to take the team's total to 273. India's new ball bowlers, RP Singh and Ishant Sharma, picked up three wickets each. Irfan Pathan took two wickets in that match, while Sehwag returned with one scalp.

---

Ajantha Mendis' six wickets derail India in the final

Team India looked all set to chase down the total at the halfway stage. However, mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis had some other plans that day, which eventually turned out to be the biggest day in his entire career.

The Men in Blue got off to a rollicking start with Virender Sehwag going all guns blazing against Sri Lanka's new-ball bowlers. They were well-placed at 76/1 after nine overs when Mahela Jayawardene introduced Mendis into the attack. The mystery off-spinner struck immediately in his first over, dismissing the dangerous-looking Sehwag (60 off 36) to give his side some respite.

He struck once again two balls later to get the better of Yuvraj Singh for a duck. Mendis struck in his third over once again by dismissing Suresh Raina to reduce India to 94/4.

Skipper MS Dhoni showed some application against Mendis for his 74-ball 49, while the rest of the Indian batters struggled to pick Mendis. He eventually finished with figures of 6/13 - his best ODI figures - as the Men in Blue were bundled out for 173, losing the final by 100 runs.