Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 22 : Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, former Indian cricketer Syed Kirmani said that Men in Blue have an upper hand over the Men in Green and highlighted the positives both teams have going on for them heading into the game.
The game is a high-stakes battle for both teams, as while Pakistan will try to keep their title defence alive, India will aim to almost confirm its berth in the semis. The game is also being touted as an opportunity for India to avenge the loss of the 2017 Champions Trophy Final when Virat Kohli's men were deprived of putting their hands on the ICC trophy.
Unlike the 50-over and T20 World Cups, Pakistan holds a 3-2 advantage over India in the Champions Trophy. The most notable encounter remains the 180-run triumph in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, which makes Sunday's game even more exciting for fans from both sides of the border.
Speaking to ANI ahead of the match, Syed said that no matter what sport, the contest between India and Pakistan grabs eyeballs worldwide.
"You see, this is the highlight of all the entire Commonwealth countries and in the other countries, European countries as well, wherever the Indian expats and the Pakistani expats are there, so they are glued to the TV to see who's going to win. Obviously, every Indian would like India to win. Every Pakistani would like to see Pakistani win, but we surely have an upper hand for sure," he added.
Kirmani said that both players are equally competent and there will be a lot of pressure on India to win considering the fact they are considered the "best in the world".
"But you have to take it in the right spirit of the game, particularly this message is for the cricket lovers all over to enjoy the game, let the best team win. Alright, that isthe way you go to enjoy this great game. Do not be emotional. And feel sad about my particular team losing. No, no, no, no, no, this is a sport. You win some, you lose some, so enjoy all that," he added.
Speaking of positives for the team, Kirmani said that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of the most senior players, have made their return to form.
"We have got a wonderful lineup and the youngsters with the experienced players, right? So there there should not be any panic. There should not be any kind of pressure and tension, and I am sure each team would like to take on one another in a very um sporting manner. And play the game in the right spirit. That is how it should be. And even Pakistan have been doing pretty well. They have got some very promising youngsters coming up. You see, now Babar Azam has moved away as a captain, but he is a great source of inspiration and motivation with the kind of experience he has, right? You have some good bowlers in their side, also good youngsters who have come up into the team. You see, important is not to get complacent. You know, being a stronger team, any stronger team should not get into complacency. here there cannot be a complacency between India and Pakistan for sure. It is going to be an interesting match," he concluded.
India squad for CT2025: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Pakistan squad for CT2025: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.