ICC Champions Trophy 2025 : Ind vs Pak Highlights

India’s clinical display puts Pakistan in danger of elimination

In the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India ruthlessly defeated Pakistan, leaving them to face the very real prospect of expulsion from their party. Virat Kohli led the way with a brilliant unbeaten hundred, his 51st in the format, and all of the Indian bowlers contributed to limiting the reigning champions to a below-average score of 241, which was then easily overtaken.

When the tournament backdrop is ignored, India-Pakistan matches can turn out to be as much a test of mental toughness as cricketing prowess. As the two teams started reading from a very familiar script, it became clear that India was superior on both counts for the better part of the previous ten and a half years. Given the predicted slow and low pitch in Dubai, Pakistan did win what appeared to be a crucial toss, but their batters went from trying too hard to trying too little, imploding to waste what was a far better PowerPlay than the one they’d produced in Karachi four nights prior.

In contrast, India did what they did best in these contests: they excelled at the little things and allowed the opposition to get enraged. They were there to take advantage of every chance Pakistan offered, and by the end, it was clear how far apart the two sides were in a match this size.

India makes a shaky start

It’s interesting to note that India got off to a more uneasy start since Mohammed Shami produced an 11-ball first over that included up to five wides, one of which almost required a first slip. The new ball swung in India’s favor, and they increased their lengths in an attempt to capitalize on the movement, even if it meant giving the underdog Babar Azam a few quick boundaries to get things going. However, India’s bowlers had the resources to adjust their lengths on this wicket even without Jasprit Bumrah and a somewhat injured Shami, who had to return to the pavilion for a short while after his third over due to some knee pain.

Read about – Champions Trophy 2025 Teams & Full Squads – Complete List

Hardik Axar help India claw back

Hardik Pandya, who was available when they needed him, made a breakthrough by luring Babar into a fake drive to a ball that wasn’t full enough to be driven. Pakistan made yet another unforced mistake after the 41-run opening stand when the reinstated Imam-ul-Haq went in pursuit of a nonexistent single and was caught short at the non-striker’s end by a direct hit from Axar Patel.

Rizwan and Saud Shakeel rebuild Pakistan’s innings

In the PowerPlay, Pakistan still had 52 runs, but India’s altered lengths quickly stopped the scoring from progressing much further. As they attempted to push the tempo against off-paced deliveries, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel continued to find the fielders in the ring, managing just 27 runs over the following 10 overs. Before the couple made a final attempt to escape, the number of dot balls had piled up to 95 by the 25th over. When India’s two spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, were working together, the attack finally came. Before Shakeel swept and reverse-swept Kuldeep for boundaries in the next over, Rizwan swept Jadeja for a four.

The partnership gradually grew above 100 runs, and Shakeel reached a respectable half-century off 63 balls. However, Pakistan suffered a setback when both of the set batters were dismissed just when it was time to step up the pace. The Pakistan captain raced at Axar and yorked himself to be bowled in the very next over, ending India’s run of middle-over wickets, but Rizwan survived when Harshit Rana put down a tight chance from Hardik. Kuldeep knocked down a difficult chance running in from long-on, but Axar may have also had Shakeel in the same over. However, Hardik’s short-ball dismissal of the half-centurion in the very next over meant that even that mistake didn’t cost India anything.

Pakistan restricted to 241

Pakistan wasted a similar position of strength as they did in their 2023 World Cup matchup. Jadeja spun one past Tayyab Tahir’s defenders, causing them to lose 3 for 14 after being 151/2. After reaching 200, as Pakistan was set to ramp up, Kuldeep produced a double-wicket 43rd over against hitters who were struggling to read him off the hand. Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha seemed to stop the damage with a lively 35-run stand.

Agha initially attempted to swipe across the line but was only able to get a leading edge to point before falling. Kuldeep used a googly to trap Shaheen Afridi in front of the stumps off the very next delivery. With two balls remaining in the innings, Khushdil was the final man out after hitting two sixes off Shami in his 38 off 39

India start positively 

With 64 runs removed from the target at the end of the PowerPlay, Kohli was able to play at a pace he had perfected over his illustrious 17-year ODI career. He began by hitting two check-driven fours off Haris Rauf, one of which was the fastest to reach the 14000-run mark in ODI history. He used strike rotation to extend his innings after the spinners came on. Four runs shy of another half-century, Abrar Ahmed blasted a ball past the Indian vice-captain and castled him, ending his 69-run partnership with Gill. It came after a quiet scoring session during which Shreyas Iyer took his time getting going.

India takes control of proceedings

India was so far ahead in the match by that point that they were not going to panic. As soon as Shaheen and Naseem resumed their attacks, Kohli made sure he dismissed them for boundaries early in their overs. Iyer eventually caught up to the scoring by sweeping and reverse-sweeping Khushdil for fours. He was relieved en route when Saud Shakeel knocked down a touch chance at mid-wicket. At that moment, Iyer was on 17 off 34.

Even after India lost Hardik and Iyer (56 off 67), it was a breeze to the end from that point on. If Kohli would reach his hundred, that was the only story left to discover. With two runs remaining to win, he reached the milestone by hitting his 111th ball for a four. For him and India, who are now awaiting another semifinal in an ICC white-ball tournament, it was all too simple.

Match Scorecard

Pakistan: 241/10 (49.4 overs)

India: 244/4 (42.2 overs)

ICC CT 2025 IND vs PAK Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) In the fifth ICC CT match between India and Pakistan, who took the most wickets?

Yadav Kuldeep (3-40).

2) During the match, who hit the most sixes?

Khushdil Shah became the player with the most sixes for Pakistan in the intense ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between India and Pakistan. With an innings of 38 runs off 39 balls and a strike rate of 97.44, the left-handed batter hit two soaring sixes.

Khushdil’s attacking strokes gave Pakistan’s total some much-needed momentum even if he struggled to find boundaries throughout the innings.

3) Who was the Man of the Match?

Virat Kohli.