Champions Trophy 2025: Predicting Pakistan’s Playing XI for their clash against India

The defending champions and hosts Pakistan will lock horns with the arch-rivals India in the high-octane clash of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Both teams will play each other in the fifth game of the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on February 23, at 2:30 PM (IST).

Mohammad Rizwan’s Pakistan are coming off a big 60-run defeat against New Zealand in their campaign opener at Karachi’s National Stadium on February 19. Meanwhile, the team also faced a big blow as the star opener Fakhar Zaman got injured and ruled out of the tournament.

Given that, here we’ll look at the predicted playing XI of Pakistan for their next clash against the arch-rivals India.

Openers – Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam

Imam-ul-Haq will be replacing the injured and ruled-out Fakhar Zaman in Pakistan’s playing XI for their next game against India. Imam will be there to open the innings for his side, alongside the former skipper and star batter Babar Azam.

Notably, Babar Azam failed miserably with the bat in the last game, playing a sluggish knock of 64 runs off 90 balls with a dismal strike rate of 71.11. So, he will look ahead to pace up his batting approach in the game against India.

Middle-Order – Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (C&WK), and Tayyab Tahir

Pakistan management will look ahead to utilize Saud Shakeel at number three who failed while opening the innings in the last game against New Zealand. Saud might be useful for his side at number three followed by skipper Mohammad Rizwan at number four.

Following these two, Tayyab Tahir will be there to bat at number five for Pakistan. However, he failed in the last game against New Zealand but still, the management might invest a bit of trust in him for the game against India.

Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025: Top 3 batters from Pakistan vs New Zealand clash

All-Rounders – Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah

All-rounder Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah were the only two players who showed some intent with the bat while chasing the target of 321 runs in the last game against the Blackcaps. Salman Agha played a quick knock of 42 runs off just 28 balls, with six fours and a six while Khushdil Shah smashed 69 runs off just 49 balls, with 10 fours and a six.

All eyes will be on Salman and Khushdil to see how they deliver in the must-win game for Pakistan against India. The duo could also be very useful with the ball as well to provide a bit of support to Abrar Ahmed in the spin department.

Bowlers – Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed

Pakistan’s pace-bowling unit failed drastically in the last game but they will have a good chance to make a comeback at the pace-bowling-friendly track in Dubai. The Pakistan management might opt to go ahead with the same pace-bowling quartet of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf in the next game as well.

Naseem and Rauf scalped 2 wickets each while Shaheen Afridi couldn’t scalp any wickets, conceding 68 runs in his 10 overs. Besides these three, Abrar Ahmed might be there in the playing XI as a specialist spinner.

Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.

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