Champions Trophy: 5 reasons why India are favourites to win against Pakistan

Champions Trophy 2025: India won their opening game against Bangladesh on Thursday and are favourites to win their next game as well against Mohammad Rizwan's Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

In Short

• India haven’t lost to Pakistan in ODIs since 2017
• India made a winning start to their Champions Trophy campaign
• Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the tournament

After defeating Bangladesh by six wickets, Rohit Sharma’s India will face their arch-rivals, Pakistan, on Sunday, February 23, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India looked dominant in their opener, chasing down 229 with 21 balls to spare. Shubman Gill extended his stellar form, smashing his eighth ODI hundred.

Mohammed Shami made a remarkable return to ICC events with a five-wicket haul. Axar Patel took two wickets and nearly had a hat-trick, if not for Rohit Sharma’s dropped catch in the slips. Rohit set the tone in the powerplay before India cruised to victory.

Pakistan, meanwhile, suffered a 60-run defeat against New Zealand at Karachi’s National Stadium on the tournament's opening day. Adding to their woes, Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out, with Imam-ul-Haq replacing him.

Champions Trophy: Full Coverage | Points Table

India holds the advantage in the upcoming clash, having not lost an ODI to Pakistan since the 2017 Champions Trophy final.

Here are five reasons why India can triumph over Pakistan in the high-stakes Champions Trophy match in Dubai.

Game time for India in Dubai

The Dubai wicket has been unpredictable so far. Teams may still be uncertain about how it will behave, but the general sense is that it’s on the slower side. Heading into the match, India has an advantage that Pakistan doesn’t—valuable game time at the venue.

The Indian batters have a better understanding of what to expect from the pitch, unlike their Pakistani counterparts. Coming from conditions in Pakistan, where the ball comes on nicely, Rizwan & Co. will need to make significant adjustments to the sluggish Dubai surface.

Pressure of survival for Pakistan

A 60-run defeat against New Zealand in their opening fixture has put Pakistan on the back foot in the Champions Trophy. They now face a tough battle against a side that appears far superior. Adding to the challenge is the pressure of staying alive in the competition—another loss would all but confirm an early exit for the defending champions.

Just one spinner

On a surface expected to stay low and favor spinners, Pakistan will have just one specialist spinner in Abrar Ahmed. They are likely to rely heavily on their pace attack once again, but the lack of quality spin-bowling all-rounders could be a significant disadvantage. Their part-time spinners may struggle to exploit the conditions as effectively as genuine all-rounders like Jadeja and Axar.

Fakhar Zaman’s absence

Beyond suffering a crushing defeat in their opening match, Pakistan has also been dealt another blow with the unavailability of the mercurial Fakhar Zaman. He was the difference-maker in the final eight years ago and will surely be missed. This further weakens a team already reeling from the loss of the dynamic opener Saim Ayub.

Psychological advantage for India

Lastly, India holds a psychological edge, having emerged victorious in the last two encounters between the sides. In a match Pakistan should have won comfortably in New York, they were undone by the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah and his fellow bowlers. Before that, the two teams met in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup, where India secured a commanding seven-wicket win, led by skipper Rohit Sharma’s masterful innings.