Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan Put To Test In Dubai Pitch As Rohit Sharma-led Team India Limit Hosts At 242 Runs

Champions Trophy 2025, IND vs PAK: Team India's bowling looked on-spot as they managed to scalp the crucial wickets of Pakistan batters at the right time. In a sluggish pitch, the Pakistan side struggled to score runs and lacked intent as they were bowled out at 242 runs in the first innings.

Pakistan Put To Challenge In Dubai Pitch, Score 242 Runs

A confident Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq looked to keep the command over Team India as Pakistan came pout to bat. Given the pitch conditions, the PAK side won the toss in Dubai and opted to score. The Men in Blue had to field and elected to opt for the same squad. But for Pakistan, opener Imam-ul-Haq will replace the injured Fakhar Zaman, who has been ruled out of the entire Champions Trophy.

Pakistan looked balanced in the initial power-play, but Team India picked up some crucial wickets to continue their momentum in the game. Babar was taken out by Hardik Pandya , while Axar Patel's bullet-of-a-throw took out Imam via run-out. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel tried to gain some advantage but continued their slow pace with the bat against the opposition. Both of them scored decent numbers, with Shakeel scoring 62 and the PAK captain raking up 46 runs. Khushdil Shah then scored some crucial runs to elevate Pakistan's score in the lower order. Team India managed to limit the CT hosts to 242 runs.

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Team India Deliver A Fine Innings With The Ball

Team India did a fine job with the fielding. Spin bowling reigned supreme as Kuldeep Yadav scored three wickets, and Hardik Pandya made the opening breakthrough and went on to scalp two wickets. Jadeja, Axar and Rana managed to get one wicket apiece to their name. However, Mohammed Shami looked to be struggling after leaking out five extra runs over wide balls.

Skipper Rohit Sharma managed to pull off a dominant strategy with the bowling line-up at his disposal. The pitch may seem dry and lanky, but they managed to turn the tide in their favour. On the other hand, Pakistan failed to put any pressure on the bowling line-up, as their intent wasn't on display. All eyes would now remain on their bowling and how effective they stand against the dominant Indian batting force.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah Presented With ICC Awards During India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy Showdown in Dubai