"It's Just A Game...": Amid Hype, Pakistan Star Plays Down Rivalry With India
Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Azam Khan gave his thoughts on the rivalry between Pakistan and India.
Ahead of an all-important clash in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 between Pakistan and India, former Pakistan cricketer Azam Khan wished the best to the Mohammad Rizwan-led side and said that the side which will play better will win the match. In the clash of the heavyweights, Pakistan will fight to keep its title defence alive by facing bitter rival India. Pakistan found themselves in this position after surrendering to a 60-run defeat against New Zealand in the tournament opener.
If the Men in Green continue their shambolic run against India on Sunday, they will need plenty of permutations and combinations to work in its favour and keep its campaign alive. Wassan believes the tournament will become much more exciting if Pakistan emerges victorious in the high-stakes encounter.
"I wish the best of luck to the Pakistan Cricket Team. It's just a game. It will be a high voltage encounter, and the team which makes fewer mistakes will win the match," Azam Khan said while speaking to ANI.
Futher, the 26-year-old player spoke on the rivalry between the two sides.
"The rivalry between India and Pakistan is off the field. In the last few years, the matches between both the teams have been played in a friendly manner," Azam Khan added.
Unlike the 50-over and T20 World Cups, Pakistan has a 3-2 advantage over India in the Champions Trophy, having secured a 180-run triumph in the 2017 final during the peak of star India batter Virat Kohli where no target was too much for his men. They will be heading to Dubai with plenty of momentum.
Pakistan kicked off its campaign on a losing note against New Zealand, whereas on the other hand, India sailed to a comfortable six-wicket win against Bangladesh to open its win account.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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Pakistan Cricket Team
India Cricket Team