India vs Pakistan: Will India alter the winning combination?

India kicked off their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign on a high as they registered a commanding victory against Bangladesh. Playing in Dubai, the venue for all of their Champions Trophy fixtures, the Men in Blue beat their neighbors by six wickets. Lined up next for the T20 World Champions is the much-awaited clash against their other neighbors and arch-rivals, Pakistan. Heading into their second match of the ICC tournament, Pakistan and India will face each other with contrasting results from their campaign openers. Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat against New Zealand at home, making their clash against India a must-win encounter to keep their tournament hopes alive.

Likely India Playing XI for India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy clash

With an eye on maintaining their winning momentum and strengthening their path to the semi-finals, India will be eager to field their strongest possible XI for the marquee encounter. The ICC Champions Trophy, being a short competition, leaves little to no margin for error. Pakistan has already severely hindered its case for semi-final qualification. India, meanwhile, is coming off a favorable result against Bangladesh. However, the Men in Blue will have the task of avenging their 2017 final defeat against Pakistan when they meet in Dubai on February 23.

When it comes to the batting lineup, India are unlikely to mess with their combination. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will continue as the opening pair, with Gill currently in red-hot form after scoring consecutive ODI centuries. Virat Kohli, though still struggling with a bad form, is set to take his usual No.3 spot. The only change in the batting lineup could be change in the order in the middle. While Shreyas Iyer stays put on his No.4 position, KL Rahul might be promoted to No.5, pushing Axar Patel down to No.6. The lower middle order will see Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja batting at No.7 and No.8, providing balance with both bat and ball.

However, changes could be on the cards in the bowling attack. Kuldeep Yadav struggled to make an impact against Bangladesh, going wicketless in his full quota of overs. This might prompt India to bring in Varun Chakravarthy, whose mystery spin could prove effective on Dubai’s turning track. Additionally, Harshit Rana might make way for Arshdeep Singh, adding variety to the pace attack with his left-arm angle. He will share the new ball with Mohammed Shami, forming a well-rounded pace duo. While Arshdeep is comparatively raw in the ODIs, the seamer has significantly troubled Pakistan in the shorter format.

Predicted India Playing XI for India vs Pakistan clash

Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy