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Another India vs Pakistan game into the history books, another Virat Kohli special to headline the new chapter. India justify their favourites tag once again, while Pakistan could be out before they even reach back home.

Since Pakistan's victory in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, they've not won a single ODI against India. The record reads '6-0' in favour of the men in blue. Dominant.

Pakistan are all but out at this point. Mathematically, they're still alive. But if New Zealand beat Bangladesh tomorrow, it will be curtains for the men in green.

Once again, outclassed on the big day by India.

"When you put your head down, God rewards you accordingly," says the maestro.

Kohli also heaps praise on Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer in the post-match presentation ceremony.

India were on top, almost from start to finish in that run chase. Rohit started off with some boundaries, Gill controlled the middle overs, Kohli took it over with his mastery, and Shreyas Iyer hit the big blows!

VIRAT KOHLI WINS 'PLAYER OF THE MATCH'!

Virat Kohli against Pakistan. A love story like no other. Once again, a masterful innings by the 'King'. What a knock, on what an occasion!

India are almost certainly through to the Champions Trophy semis!

HE HAS DONE IT! Virat Kohli reaches his 51st ODI ton. Absolutely unreal. Comes down the track, whacks it through extra cover and slams it for a boundary. It is a century, it is victory for India.

IND 244/4 (42.3)

Virat Kohli can get to his century with a six! He's going to be on strike, and India need only 4 more to seal victory here.

IND 238/4 (42)

Two consecutive wides by Shaheen Afridi here, and that further reduces Kohli's chances of a century. The crowd are absolutely livid. Loud boos for Shaheen from the Dubai crowd.

Kohli, meanwhile, is up to 95.

IND 238/4 (42)

Virat Kohli moves up to 88, but India's target is getting nearer and nearer. Is time running out for the 36-year-old to reach his century? The crowd is certainly rooting for him in Dubai.

IND 229/4 (41.2)

Virat Kohli SURVIVES! Big LBW appeal by Pakistan. Umpire says not out, they go upstairs, but Kohli has got the faintest of edges. Can he get his century?

Kohli needs 13 more for a ton. India need 18 to win.

IND 224/4 (40.3)

And Hardik Pandya is gone! Short delivery by Shaheen, Hardik tries to pull, gloves it and an easy catch taken by Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps.

IND 223/4 (40)

Hardik Pandya has come out and made a stunning start. He slams a four through extra cover on his second ball, and then picks up a couple more.

IND 223/3 (39.5)

There is the breakthrough for Pakistan. The 114-run partnership has been broken as Iyer falls for 56 off 67 balls. Virat Kohli consoles him as Iyer walks back to the dugout. Iyer wanted to hit it over extra cover but failed to get it over the fielder Imam-ul-Haq.

Virat Kohli is batting at the score of 84. India need 33 runs to win the game while Kohli needs only 16 off it to race to the three-figure mark.

36.5 - Another brilliant fifty from Shreyas Iyer. He has reached the mark in 63 balls. He started slow but paced his knock really well to get to the milestone. In this over, he took his time as he played four dot balls on trot before getting to the feat.

A four from Virat Kohli and a couple follows it. He moved to 81 with that shot while India race to 200 runs. They need only 42 runs to win the game. The win is more or less sealed for India, what the fans would be waiting to see if Kohli could score his 51st ODI ton tonight.

Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli have added 89 runs for the third wicket off 105 balls as India are comfortably cruising towards the target of 241. They need 53 runs in 90 balls at 3.53 runs per over. This seems like a cakewalk for India from this point. While Iyer is close to his fifty, Kohli could race to his 51st ODI ton. 

A slight miscommunication in running and Virat Kohli could have lost his wicket there. He hit the ball towards backward point and tried to take a single. The miscommunication in running made it tight but Kohli safely made it to the other end as the throw also missed the stumps.

Shreyas Iyer dances down the track and slams it for a biggie. Salman Agha gave it flight and Iyer accepted the challenge. He hit it over the deep mid-wicket for the six. India need 75 more to win against Pakistan.

IND 167/2 (30.3)

Shreyas Iyer slammed consecutive fours to Khushdil Shah in the 30th over before his catch was dropped by Saud Shakeel at short mid-wicket on the final ball. 10 runs came off the over and India are crusing at the moment. They need only 82 runs to win the game.

IND 160/2 (30)

Shaheen Afridi leaks 10 runs on his return to spell. Kohli hit a four in the over apart from stealing two doubles. This is what Pakistan were lacking during their batting. They didn't take their chances to score some quick runs in the middle overs.

Shaheen Afridi comes into the attack and Virat Kohli slams a four off the very first ball with his typical approach - coming down the track and hitting it down the ground. The mid-on was inside the circle and Kohli comfortably hit the ball over the fielder for a four.

A four from Virat Kohli towards covers and that sees him race to his 74th ODI fifty. He gets there in 62 balls. A well-controlled knock this is from the star India batter, much unlike the last one in which he looked really scratchy.

Naseem Shah was brought back into the attack and he conceded only two runs in his over. India need 116 runs more to win the game. With chase master Virat Kohli at one end, this is always going to be an easy task for India. Needless to say that Pakistan need a wicket. 

After completing a run, Virat Kohli put his hand to a throw made by Pakistan fielder. After watching Kohli do so, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, on-air, warned Kohli, saying that Pakistan could have appealed for Kohli's wicket for obstructing the field.

A short ball and Shreyas Iyer pull it towards deep mid-wicket for a four. A dot ball follows. Five runs came off the over from Haris Rauf. India need 119 runs at 4.41 runs per over from here. 

A bouncer from Haris Rauf and Virat Kohli has pulled it away for a four. The fine leg was a bit square and that saw the ball race away to the fence for a four. With that shot, Kohli moves to 40. He is looking in really good touch. 

IND 114/2 (20.4)

180 balls remaining in the game and India need 133 runs off it to win this match. While the stats may say that India are on top, the fact that the pitch slows down as the innings progressess keeps Pakistan in the game. 

That is a peach of a delivery from Abrar Ahmed to get rid of Shubman Gill. It was a leg-spinning delivery that beat Gill's outside edge and disturbed the timber work. The Pakistan spinner follows it up with a dominating send-off. Gill is out for 46 off 52 balls.

A single from Virat Kohli on the bowling of Abrar Ahmed and there is the 100 for the Indian cricket team. They get there comfortably and need only 142 runs to win from there.

Abrar Ahmed bowled a flatter delivery and Virat Kohli got an inside edge on it. To the India star's good luck, the ball went in between his legs and he managed to steal a single.

A four from Virat Kohli and that helps him become the fastest batter in the world to score 14000 ODI runs. Kohli has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar for the achievement. He did it in his 287th innings, while Sachin had reached the milestone in 350th innings.

Shubman Gill has been dropped by Khushdil Shah at short mid-wicket. That is a blunder from the Pakistan fielder. Bowler Haris Rauf could not believe it, so is the case with Shaheen Afridi. It was however a great gesture from Babar Azam to go to Khushdil and pat him to keep the player motivated. 

This is a good start for India. They have scored runs at a good pace in the chase of 242. India need 178 runs to win from this point off 240 balls with nine wickets in hand. The asking rate is 4.45. Even if the pitch slows down from here, a decent batting effort from India will be enough to chase this down. 

Nothing is stopping Shubman Gill at the moment. He slammed Shaheen Afridi for two fours in this over as well. The over fetched India 14 runs. Shaheen has been really expensive so far. He has conceded runs at an economy of 8.60.

A terrific drive from Shubman Gill for a four. He gets into the gap between mid-off and cover fielders for the boundary. This is terrific piece of batting from Gill.

Before coming in to bat, Virat Kohli needed 15 runs to race to the milestone of 14000 ODI runs. He is batting at the score of 3 so he needs just 12 more to achieve the feat. If Kohli reaches there, he will become the second Indian batter after Sachin Tendulkar and third overall to do so.

IND 49/1 (8)

Shaheen Afridi leaked 14 runs in his fourth over. Gill hit two glorious boundaries in the over while the third one went after taking a leading edge.

A short ball from Shaheen Afridi and Shubman Gill brings out the short arm pull on it for a four. This is some great adjustment from Gill. He is the man in form.

IND 38/1 (6.2)

Massive wicket for Pakistan as the dangerman Rohit Sharma is out for 20 runs off 15 balls. The late swing did the magic for Pakistan and Shaheen Shah Afridi. As a result, it was nearly an unplayable delivery. The ball rattled the stumps of Rohit Sharma.

IND 31/1 (5)

Shaheen Afridi bowled it fuller outside off-stump and Rohit Sharma threw his bat to it. The ball went through the extra cover for a four.

Rohit Sharma dances down the track and slams it over the infield for a four. Not a bad ball from Naseem Shah it was, it is just the brilliance of Rohit that is making things tough for the star Pakistan pacer.

IND 26/0 (3.4)

Poor from Shaheen Afridi as he bowls a lower full toss to Shubman Gill that too outside the off stump. Gill just carves it through the gap between cover and sweeper cover fielders. A dot ball follows. Eight runs came off Shaheen Afridi's second over.

IND 20/0 (3

There is the first boundary for India. Not the way Rohit Sharma would have liked it as he got a leading edge on it that flew over the slip. Rohit connects it from the middle of his bat on the next delivery and it flies over the ground for a biggie.

Pakistan make a positive start. Tidy over by Shaheen, who keeps things tight. Just 2 runs off it.

IND 2/0 (1)

The Indian openers are out in the middle. Rohit Sharma to face Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has the new ball.

Khushdil Shah is out for 38 off 39 balls and Pakistan have been bundled out for 241 runs with two balls still left in the innings. With it, Harshit Rana also gets a wicket to his name. As the pitch has played so far, Pakistan have got runs on the board to put up a fight against India.

Haris Rauf is run-out. He fails to make it to the other end as the Pakistani batters tried to take a couple. Pakistan are 9 down now. Last over coming now with Khushdil Shah on strike. Harshit Rana will bowl the over.

A short ball and Haris Rauf has deposited it into the stand over the square leg. Mohammed Shami is leaking runs at the final stage of the innings. Captain Rohit Sharma is clearly unhappy with it. Pakistan are somehow only 10 runs away from the 250-run mark.

PAK 240/8 (48.4)

An off-cutter from Mohammed Shami outside off-stump and Khushdil Shah has slammed it over the deep mid-wicket for a six. Good start to the over this is for Pakistan.

Naseem Shah is gone and that is the third wicket for Kuldeep Yadav. Pakistan are eight down. Naseem came down the track but chipped the ball towards long-on where Virat Kohli took a good catch running forward.

PAK 222/8 (46.4)

Mohammed Shami concedes 7 runs in his 7th over. Kuldeep Yadav will continue to bowl from the other end. Can Pakistan reach 250-run mark? They have 24 balls left in the innings.

Six runs came off Kuldeep Yadav's 8th over and there comes Mohammed Shami into the attack for his fourth spell. He bowled three overs in the first one, then two and then one. The right-arm pacer will bowl the 46th over of the innings. Here we go...

Naseem Shah got an outside edge on the third ball of the over of Harshit Rana and the ball raced away for a four through slips. The third man was wide and that saw the ball comfortably reach the boundary line. Six runs came off the over.

PAK 206/7 (44)

Naseem Shah has comfortably played the hat-trick ball of Kuldeep Yadav and that denies the India star a consecutive third wicket. Nonetheless, he has left Pakistan in all sorts of trouble with his twin blows in this over. 

Kuldeep Yadav strikes again and he is now on a hat-trick. He caught Shaheen Afridi plumb in front of the stumps on the very first ball the batter faced. Umpire raised his finger but Afridi sent it upstairs only to burn one review. Pakistan are 7 down.

PAK 200/7 (42.5)

A single from the bat of Khushdil Shah and Salman Agha is out off the very next ball. Pakistan are six down now. Just when it looked they could post a fighting total from this point, their star hitter goes back to the dugout after scoring 19 runs off 24 balls. Kuldeep Yadav gets his first wicket.

Khushdil Shah has slammed the first six of the Pakistan innings. Axar  Patel bowled a fuller ball outside off stump and Shah fetched it from there and deposited it over the deep mid-wicket for a biggie.

It was a good review from India. Khushdil Shah attempted a reverse-sweep but missed the ball. Umpire was unconvinced with the appeal but Rohit Sharma decided to go upstairs. Ball tracking revealed that it would have clipped the leg stump.

Pakistan have 10 overs left in their innings. Their scoring rate is 4.57 at the moment. They need to add at least 60-70 odd runs in the final 10 overs to reach around the mark of 250. Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah are currently at the crease. Someone has to take the responsibility of scoring quick runs from one end.

Ravindra Jadeja joins the party! He has removed Tayyab Tahir and Paksitan are five down now. Jadeja follows the wicket with a huge roar. Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan was left stunned in the dugout after the wicket.

Hardik Pandya has put India back on top. He has removed set batter Saud Shakeel and Pakistan are four down now. It was a short ball from Hardik and Shakeel pulled it towards Axar Patel at deep mid-wicket. the fielder did a fine job running to his right and taking the catch.

PAK 159/4 (34.5)

Harshit Rana had dropped the catch of Mohammad Rizwan on the final ball of the 33rd over, while Kuldeep Yadav dropped Saud Shakeel on the fifth ball of the 34th over.

The 104-run partnership has been broken as Mohammad Rizwan departs for 44 off 77 balls. He danced down the track to slam Axar Patel for a biggie but lost his wicket in the process. Pakistan are three down and India are back in the contest.

In case you missed the sensational run-out by Axar Patel. Watch it here -

The art of fielding ft. ICT#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar #INDvsPAK #AxarPatel pic.twitter.com/AJkkCuSvnG

— JioHotstar (@JioHotstar) February 23, 2025

Saud Shakeel has raced to his half-century in 63 balls. He has made a really good improvement as his strike rate is close to 80 now. Meanwhile, the partnership between him and Mohammad Rizwan for the third wicket grows to 90 now. Pakistan are in command at the moment. 

Pakistan have improved their scoring rate to 4.3. Saud Shakeel is only 6 runs away from his fifty while Mohammad Rizwan needs 11 to reach his half-century. Pakistan are now on the move.

Shubman Gill picked the ball after it got grounded on the first ball of the over from Mohammed Shami. He was standing at short mid-wicket when Mohammad Rizwan played a pull shot towards him. The ball didn't carry to Gill and he was quick enough to inform the umpire that it was grounded. "Good sportsmanship," said Pakistan legend Wasim Akram on-air.

PAK 121/2 (28)

Pakistan are now scoring runs at a brisk pace. They are getting boundaries now and that sees their scoring rate improve.

25.3 - Another four for Pakistan. This is the second consecutive over that sees them score a boundary. Saud Shakeel played a reverse-sweep to earn the four for Pakistan. That also sees the side cross the 100-run mark.

Pakistan finally get a boundary!!! This is their first boundary in 55 balls. Mohammad Rizwan has played a sweep shot through the backward square leg for the four.

Pakistan have not scored a boundary in the last 47 balls. Mohammad Rizwan is batting at a strike rate of around 40 while that of Saud Shakeel is around 60.

In the first 10 overs, Pakistan scored 55 runs at the loss of two wickets, but they managed to score only 24 runs that too without losing any wicket in the next 10 overs. The pitch is dry and ball is not coming to the bat nicely but still Pakistan could have done a better job.

Pakistan's scoring rate has gone below 4 now. They need to accelerate a bit. 250 on this track could be a fighting total, but for that as well, Pakistan need to score at 5.7 runs per over from here. Pakistan lose one more wicket at this point and they will be completely under pressure.

The duo of Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel have added 30 runs off 58 balls for the third wicket so far. India have brought Kuldeep Yadav back in the attack as they aim to get a breakthrough. He will bowl the 20th over.

There is Rohit Sharma! He is back on the field. This will see Shubman Gill returning to the duties of vice-captain. Axar Patel will continue to bowl from his end.

Team India fears penalty as its over-rate is poor. The team is around 15 minutes behind the stipulated time, as shown by the official broadcaster in the 16th over of the Pakistan innings.

That is the end of 15 overs of play. Only 26 runs have been scored by Pakistan in the last seven overs. The side has gone into a shell and needs to attack a bit. The scoring rate is only 4.2 which is low in any surface. Just when I type this, Saud Shakeel has played a lap shot for a four. This is the first boundary for Pakistan after 32 balls.

Mohammed Shami is bowling his second over in his second spell. These are good signs for India as Shami was taken off his first spell after suffering an injury on his right leg. He completed only the particular over and was replaced with Hardik Pandya in the attack back then.

Vice-captain Shubman Gill was seen setting the field as Mohammed Shami resumed bowling. He came in to bowl the 12th over, giving a massive relief to India amid the concerns over his injury. Meanwhile, Gill took over the captaincy duties as India captain Rohit Sharma went off the field.

Pakistan are two down! That is a sensational throw from Axar Patel to dismiss another Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq. He hit the Kuldeep Yadav delivery towards mid-on and tried to steal a single, but failed to make it to the other end in time. Axar found the stumps at the non-striker's end and captain Rohit Sharma and his India teammates were ecstatic. 

Babar Azam is OUT! That is a terrific revenge for Hardik Pandya. He was hit for a four on the first ball of the over before making a sensational comeback. A back of length delivery outside off stump and Babar went for the drive. He edged it to wicketkeeper KL Rahul. Babar fell for 23 off 26 balls.

Babar Azam danced down the track to hit the Axar Patel delivery over the infield. The ball bounced just before the boundary rope to run away for a four. It was through the cow corner for the boundary.

PAK 37/0 (7.4)

Another beautiful drive from Babar Azam. This time it goes through the sweeper cover. It was a half-volley. Babar is looking really confident today and these are good signs for Pakistan.

Harshit Rana has bowled a one-run over. There is no Mohammed Shami to bowl the next over as there has been a bowling chance. It is Hardik Pandya, who will bowl the 7th over of the innings. 

After bowling the fourth ball of the over, Mohammed Shami was seen having some trouble on his right leg below the knee. The physio was called in to have a look at it before the play resumed. During that time, India head coach Gautam Gambhir gave a worried look to the incident. The good thing for India is that Shami resumed bowling. Let's hope it is not serious!

Two terrific shots came from Babar Azam on the bowling of Harshit Rana. The star Pakistan batter earned two fours through it. The first one was a flick shot towards the cow corner region while the second one was a sensational cover drive. 

Mohammed Shami has made a really good comeback as he conceded only four runs in the next over, and most importantly, there was no wide in it. Imam-ul-Haq got two couples in it.

Virat Kohli and Babar Azam had a mild embrace as the players walked out to the middle. The heartwarming moment between the players of the two arch-rivals India and Pakistan is going viral on social media. 

When Virat Kohli met Babar#IndvsPak pic.twitter.com/RpegDAjSzG

— CricToons (@WhatThe_cricket) February 23, 2025

Mohammed Shami got good swing in the very first over but his lines were really poor. He bowled as many as five wide deliveries in the opening over to take the pressure off the Pakistan openers at least for some time. Harshit Rana will bowl from the other end.

Mohammed Shami started with a dot ball before bowling a wayward delivery down the leg side that went for a wide. It was good wicketkeeping from KL Rahul to dive and stop the ball.

Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq are in the middle, the latter will take the strike. Mohammed Shami has the new ball in hand. Here we go...

"Why would they change?" said former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on-air, while talking about the playing XI of India against Pakistan. He also pointed out that the surface in Dubai is low and that India have a perfect combination as per the conditions.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav

Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

"Doesn't really matter, they won the toss so we'll bowl first. Looks similar to the last game, the surface is on the slower side. We have an experienced unit in batting so we know what we need to do if the pitches get slower. Need an overall performance from the team - with bat and ball. The last game wasn't an easy one for us, which is always nice. You want to be under pressure and test yourself. We are playing the same team," said India captain Rohit Sharma.

"Will bat first, looks like a good surface. Want to put up a good target. Every match is important in ICC events, we will keep things normal. The boys are familiar with these conditions, we have done well here and we want to do our best today. We lost our last game, but it is past for us now. One change - Fakhar is out, Imam is in," said Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has won the toss and opted to bat first in the all-crucial encounter against India. He also informed at the toss that there is one change in the team. Fakhar is out for Imam-ul-Haq is in.

India's Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025 due to back injury, makes sure he is there to support the team. The fast bowler will be there in the attendance in Dubai to back his teammates. Bumrah reached the venue ahead of the toss for the game and met the Indian team players.

Jasprit Bumrah meets Virat Kohli and hugs him. pic.twitter.com/gvNeqEXTI6

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 23, 2025

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan hold a huge head-to-head advantage. In 24 games played, Pakistan have won 18, with India winning the remaining six. However, in matches played in Dubai, the equation changes. India and Pakistan have faced off twice in Dubai, with India winning both times.

India's star batter Virat Kohli is only 15 away from reaching the milestone of 14000 ODI runs. If he manages to get there, Kohli will become only the second India batter after Sachin Tendulkar, and third overall to reach the landmark. Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara has 14234 ODI runs to his name, while Tendulkar tops the list with the tally of 18426.

"It is just another game", this is what you will always see the players of India and Pakistan speak ahead of the match between the arch-rivals, but it is not true for sure. The pressure during Indo-Pak matches is always at its peak, the one who performs at such a crucial stage, gets remembered for ages. Such is the India vs Pakistan clash, folks!

A victory in this game for India will means that the side will advance to the semi-final of the tournament. India defeated Bangladesh in their opening game of the event to earn the crucial two points. Another two points will take them through to the next round quite comfortably.

India played their campaign opener against Bangladesh on February 20, which happens to be the only game of the tournament that has taken place so far at the venue. There was no dew during the entire game which saw India struggle a bit under the lights. "In the last match, dew was not there. When dew is not there, it is not that easy to bat (under lights) and it is not that easy to rotate strike as well. Whoever does well in middle overs has a better chance of winning. With lack of dew, toss also doesn't play a big role. But, for any team – in any big match, if we don't get dew then the team that is batting later will have more pressure," said Shubman Gill.

There is no denying the fact that Pakistan will be under tremendous pressure. They lost their first game to New Zealand by 60 runs. If they lose today, they will be nearly knocked out of the tournament. All in all, this is a must-win game for the Mohammad Rizwan-led side.

"It is an important but the most important match will be the final," India's vice-captain Shubman Gill told reporters on the eve of the game. "It's not for me to say whether India-Pakistan contest is under-hyped or over-hyped. There is a long history of India-Pakistan cricket. It is a very exciting contest but it doesn't change anything for us," he added.

India have a fit-again and in-form Mohammed Shami, who is being brilliantly backed up by Harshit Rana. Shami's fifer against Bangladesh ensured that India did not miss injured talisman Jasprit Bumrah just yet. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has always turned up with his best against Pakistan in major ICC tournaments.

Babar Azam copped a lot of criticism for a 94-ball 64 in the 60-run loss to New Zealand in the opening match. He was lambasted for failing to accelerate while the asking rate crept up in the chase of 320 runs in Karachi.

Interim head coach Aqib Javed, who addressed the media after practice, did not give any specific reason for Azam's absence, saying that the former captain chose to rest. Last night, Naqvi met the Pakistan cricket team at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, and urged them to win Sunday's crucial match against India "at any cost" to silence critics.

Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam was conspicuous by his absence from the team's training and there was no clarity on his availability for the Champions Trophy clash against India on Sunday. Speculation is rife that he may be not be considered for the match after he was not seen at the practice session on Saturday evening. The practice was attended by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and Azam was the only player who chose to take the day off.

India faced a setback in their last clash against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy as they lost the 2017 title clash at The Oval to miss out on their second silverware in the tournament. Meanwhile, India have a psychological edge of staying unbeaten against Pakistan in the last six ODIs (including the 2023 Asia Cup group stage washout) since 2018.

In their last ODI meet in the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad, India registered an emphatic seven-wicket win as captain Rohit and Shreyas Iyer scored half-centuries to keep their winless record intact in the tournament. Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who returned to international cricket just before the World Cup after a more than a year injury hiatus, along with Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya made sure to back their captain's call to bowl first. The trio picked two scalps each to bundle out the visitors for a paltry 191.

The sub-continental rivals' last Champion Trophy clash was the 2017 final in which Pakistan walked away with the win and the trophy. Rizwan and Co. would look to draw inspiration from that triumph in London but would also need to scale up their performance in every department.

While India are on a high after claiming a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener against New Zealand.

Hyped as a marquee showdown but mostly lopsided on the field, India and Pakistan lock horns in the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday with Rohit Sharma's men aiming to seal a semifinal spot and Mohammad Rizwan's team desperate to avoid early elimination from the tournament.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the highly anticipated Champions Trophy 2025 match between the arch-rivals India and Pakistan, straight from Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Stay tuned for all the live updates.