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Former cricketer Basit Ali has backed India as favourites against Pakistan in the upcoming blockbuster clash in the Champions Trophy.
The latest chapter in the cut-throat rivalry between India and Pakistan will ensue on the field of cricket in Dubai on February 23. In the last five mega rivalry fixtures in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan are ahead in the head-to-head against India, with a 3-2 scoreline. Basit evaluated the outcome of the upcoming fixture and predicted the result in India's favour considering the amount of experience that the Men in Blue have over Pakistan. "70 per cent India 30 per cent Pakistan. India have a more experienced side. If Virat and Rohit are not in form, then the game will be even," Basit said on his YouTube channel. In their last encounter in the Champions Trophy 2017, Pakistan pulled a rabbit out of a hat in the final by bamboozling India with a thumping 180-run triumph. The eight-team tournament will feature 15 matches and will be played across Pakistan and Dubai. To prepare for the tournament both sides will engage in ODIs before beginning their respective campaigns. India will square off against England in three ODIs beginning in Nagpur on Thursday. The 50-over action will then move to Cuttack on Sunday and the series will conclude on February 12 in Ahmedabad. On the other hand, Pakistan will feature in the tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand to bolster their preparations for the title defence. The tri-series will begin with New Zealand squaring off against Pakistan in the Gadaffi Stadium on February 8. The Kiwis will then go on to face South Africa on February 10 in a day match. After the conclusion of the first two games, the ODI action will shift from Rawalpindi to Karachi, with Pakistan taking on South Africa on February 12 in a day/night match. The final will be held on February 14 at the same venue, five days before the tournament opener. Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy 2025: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Khushdil Shah, Salman Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah. India Champions Trophy squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja. (ANI)
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