ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Three Player Battles for India vs Pakistan Match

The mother of all clashes - India vs Pakistan, is set to take place tomorrow at the Dubai International Stadium. The spectacle event of world cricket always draws attention from all corners of the world, and tomorrow will be no different. India have an upper hand when it comes to a head-to-head record in ICC events, but Pakistan have beaten India in the last two games that they played at the Dubai International Stadium. With lots to build towards for this mega clash, here’s a look at three player battles to get excited about in the India vs Pakistan clash. 

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Three Player Battles for India vs Pakistan Match

1. Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi

Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, India have had a cheat code in skipper Rohit Sharma who opens the batting with a gung-ho attack mentality. Rohit Sharma was pivotal to India reaching the finals of the ODI World Cup and then winning the T20 World Cup next year, decimating most games in the powerplay itself. Rohit Sharma’s quick starts have been the platform for India to build a solid score. 

Another player who enjoys the opening period of games is Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi. The tall pacer from Pakistan is most effective with the new ball when he can generate some inswing and cause all sorts of problems for the batters. Shaheen Afridi famously got rid of Rohit and KL Rahul in the opening spell of the 2021 T20 World Cup - a match that Pakistan famously won by 10 wickets. Rohit Sharma also has had an occasional weakness against left-arm pace, and Shaheen would hope to exploit that come Sunday. Whoever comes out on top in this early battle could set the tone for the rest of the game. 

2. Virat Kohli vs Abrar Ahmed

Whisper it slowly but Virat Kohli seems to be having a problem against leg spin. That has been the Achilles heel for India’s star batter since the 2023 ODI World Cup. Since the start of 2024, Kohli has managed to score just 31 runs in 51 balls against leg spin and has been dismissed five times. He was dismissed by Adil Rashid twice in the ODIs prior to the Champions Trophy, and then by Rishad Hossain in the opening game. 

One person who would have been keeping a keen eye on these stats would be Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed. The spectacled leggie from Pakistan would be keen to use his variations against Virat Kohli and get him out cheaply if possible since Kohli has had a history of causing big damage to Pakistan once he gets going. Abrar Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan in their opening game against New Zealand and bowled with a decent economy rate as well. He’s never bowled to Virat Kohli before, but tomorrow presents a solid match-up between the pair. 

3. Mohammad Rizwan vs Mohammad Shami

With experienced batter Babar Azam struggling for form, the onus on scoring the big runs for Pakistan lies mainly with skipper Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan has been in good form in ODIs, as he averaged 52.80 in 2024 and led the side to away series wins against Australia and South Africa. 

Mohammad Shami made a great return to International cricket post-injury, as he picked up a fifer in his opening game of the Champions Trophy. Shami has been India’s talismanic bowler when it comes to ICC Tournaments and was the leading wicket-taker during the 2023 ODI World Cup as well. When Shami came up against Rizwan in Dubai in the T20 World Cup in 2021, it was the Pakistani keeper, who came out on top as he scored 30 runs off 14 balls. Who will come out on top this time?