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Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh said that Pakistan is at an advantage during their high-profile ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against India, saying that they have played a lot of cricket in Dubai and understand the conditions really well.
Unlike the 50-over and T20 World Cups, Pakistan has a 3-2 advantage over India in the Champions Trophy, having secured a 180-run triumph in the 2017 final during the peak of star India batter Virat Kohli where no target was too much for his men. They will be heading to Dubai with plenty of momentum. Speaking ahead of the match, Yuvraj said on JioHotstar's 'Greatest Rivalry Returns' programme, "I actually think Pakistan has an advantage because they have a base in Dubai. They have played a lot of cricket there and understand the conditions well." Yuvraj said that on slower wickets, India and Pakistani players are amongst the best, "who have always played spin well". He also talked about how the rivalry is as much about playing the moment and adaptation as it is about the match-winners in both teams. "You talk about match-winners--yes, I agree with Shahid Afridi that we have more match-winners. But I believe that even if Pakistan has fewer match-winners, one player can still take the game away. The India-Pakistan clash is not about match-winners alone; it's about playing in the moment, adapting to the situation, and not letting expectations overwhelm you. The team that does this better will win the game for their country," he concluded. India squad for Champions Trophy: 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 Champions Trophy: 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. (ANI)
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