Champions Trophy 2025 India vs Pakistan Confirmed Playing 11

Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Rizwan face-off in our best playing 11 comparison for the India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 clash on Feb 23. 

India vs Pakistan need no introduction. The mother of all cricket matches will once again come to life after a big win for India in the T20 World Cup 2024. June 9 was the last time India met Pakistan for a cricket match. It was India who came out victorious, and after a gap of almost 9 months, India will be clashing with Pakistan, but this time in another ICC event, the ICC Champions Trophy.

To recall, the last time India played Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, it was an unforgettable night for Team India as Pakistan completely dominated India in a one-sided affair in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. That loss will be deeply instilled in the minds of all Indians as India lost to Pakistan in an ICC tournament, and that too the most important one, the Finals. 

But 8 years after that match, the team composition looks in a completely different shape for India and Pakistan. The last ODI World Cup saw India defeating Pakistan by 7 wickets in Ahmedabad. India have had the privilege of playing a strong squad in 50-overs cricket. Even as India lost to Australia in the final, it takes nothing away from the fact that they are still the number one ODI side in the world currently. 

Meanwhile, India have already announced the squad for the Champions Trophy 2025.  However, Pakistan are yet to announce their official squad. Jan 12 was set as the deadline to announce the squad by the ICC. While India delayed the announcement by a week, Pakistan have taken more than 2 weeks, and are yet to make the official announcement. But we can still know what kind of playing 11 these two will be playing 11

India vs Pakistan CT 2025 Key Match Details:

Tournament: ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Match Type: India vs Pakistan Group Stage Clash

Where: Dubai, UAE

When: Feb 23, 2025, 2:30 pm IST

The India vs Pakistan clash will take place in Dubai on Sunday, February 23, 2025. India have played Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 5 times, and on three occasions, Pakistan have come out stronger. All these matches were played on neutral venues of England and South Africa. But this is the first time India will be playing Pakistan in a Champions Trophy clash in Asia. While Dubai is still a neutral venue, being a sub-continent pitch will make this an exciting contest. 

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Official Squad List for Team India:

Batters: Rohit Sharma (c), Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli & Yashasvi Jaiswal

WKs: KL Rahul & Rishabh Pant

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja & Washington Sundar

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami

If we start comparing the playing 11 of both, we start with the openers. For India, we have Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the openers. Whereas for Pakistan, we should mostly see Abdulla Shafique as one opener, but for the second opener, Pakistan may mostly be without their star batter Saim Ayub. Ayub is currently under a rehabilitation program, and it looks as if he won’t recover in time for the Champions Trophy. So, in Ayub’s absence, either Pakistan selects a debutant Usman Khan, or bring back their old foe Fakhar Zaman. 

It will be a tough call that Pakistan will have to make as Abdulla himself isn’t a great opener. So, ideally, going back to Fakhar will be a wise choice for Pakistan as Fakhar is not only experienced, but he also played a key role in Pakistan’s victory over India in Champions Trophy 2017. So, assuming Fakhar plays, Pakistan’s opening combination still looks under par as compared to India’s Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.

Coming to middle-order, India should see the trio of Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul. For Pakistan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Kamran Ghulam should make up for the middle-order. Overall, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are quality batters, and almost at par with Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul. However, Kamran Ghulam is relatively inexperienced, and hence, as a whole, Pakistan’s middle-order looks slightly below par with that of India. 

India’s Batting Depth vs Pakistan’s Better Bowling Lineup

Coming to the lower-order, India should mostly play three all-rounders in the form of Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Having these three in the playing 11 will give a great cushion to the Indian team. In comparison, Pakistan should see Salman Agha and Irfan Khan in the lower-order. Once again, India’s all-rounders look way above par with that of Pakistan, and aside from having quality, India also have a better batting depth as compared to Pakistan. 

Finally, talking about the bowling lineup, this is the area where Pakistan might have an edge over India looking at the bowlers on each side. While India have Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, and three all-rounders in the bowling lineup, Pakistan have Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad, Haris Rauf, and two all-rounders in the bowling lineup.

Pakistan with Shaheen, Naseem, Haris, and Abrar look more potent as compared to India, who have only Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav as three wicket-taking bowlers. On top of this, Shami is making a comeback, and Bumrah is injury-prone. So, any negative news on this side might further dent the changes of the Indian team. Thus, Pakistan will be better equipped to handle the pressure on flat pitches.

Champions Trophy 2025 Team India Strongest Playing 11 vs Pakistan

1. Rohit Sharma (c)
2. Shubman Gill
3. Virat Kohli
4. Shreyas Iyer 
5. KL Rahul (wk)
6. Hardik Pandya
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Axar Patel
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Mohammed Shami
11. Jasprit Bumrah

Champions Trophy 2025 – Pakistan Team Best Playing 11 vs India:

1. Abdullah Shafique
2. Fakhar Zaman
3. Babar Azam
4. Mohammad Rizwan (c&wk)
5. Kamran Ghulam
6. Salman Agha
7. Irfan Khan
8. Haris Rauf
9. Shaheen Afridi
10. Naseem Shah
11. Abrar Ahmed

So, that’s about the best playing 11 comparison for India vs Pakistan class at the Champions Trophy 2025. Overall, India look much stronger in the batting department with solid batting till 8. Whereas Pakistan look more competent in the bowling department with 4 solid wicket-taking options. Ultimately, it will come down to how India’s batting copes with the pressure of Pakistan’s bowling, and vice versa.

Thanks for reading! What’s your playing 11 for India vs Pakistan clash at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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Adesh Kothari

Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.

Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.

Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.