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Ahead of the high-stakes clash between India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday, cricket fans of both countries shared their excitement.
India is set to lock horns with arch-rivals and host Pakistan in the highly anticipated Champions Trophy clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. 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. An Indian cricket team fan from Chandigarh told ANI, "If we look at the last matches in Dubai, we will see that it has a low-scoring pitch. A score of 250 runs is a good score there. We expect that India will score high... India will definitely win... There is a huge difference in the performance of India and Pakistan teams. India is a leading team in this format. In comparison to Pakistan, our players are much better." A young Pakistani fan said, "I am very excited for the match. Babar Azam is my favourite cricketer as he hits very big sixes." Another young supporter is a fan of Mohammad Rizwan. "I am very excited and it is my first time watching a cricket match. Mohammad Rizwan is my favourite player," he said while speaking to ANI. An Indian cricket fan said, "I feel short of words and I have come all the way from Melbourne just to watch the match...Virat Kohli's knock at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) still freshens my mind and I am expecting something like that today." Cricket fans in Patna performed 'hawan' for Team India's victory as they face Pakistan in the ICC ChampionsTrophy. The last time India and Pakistan clashed in a Champions Trophy event was during the 2017 edition's final, when Virat Kohli-led star-studded unit was humbled by Men in Green at the peak of star batters' run-chasing powers, skittled out for 158 runs while chasing 338 runs which Pakistan reached on the back of a century from Fakhar Zaman. Avenging this would be fresh on the minds of players who were part of this heart-wrenching defeat and their fans would no doubt relish every moment of India dominating Pakistan with bat or ball. Dating back to 1952, India and Pakistan have a rivalry that has not only stood the test of time but continues to grow and evolve. These South Asian nations find another gear when they meet. Anticipation for this encounter has reached fever pitch, given their last 50-over encounter was way back in 2023 at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, where India claimed a seven-wicket win. The two sides also met at last year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where India prevailed by just six runs. It has reached the point of desperation already for Pakistan, who simply need to win if they are any chance of progressing to the semi-finals in their home tournament after being crushed by New Zealand in their campaign opener. Without their hard-hitting opener Fakhar Zaman, the Pakistan batting attack looks more conservative and toothless than ever. Squads: Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, 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. India: 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. (ANI)
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