DUBAI (Kashmir English): Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the high-voltage Champions Trophy match at the Dubai Cricket Stiaudm on Sunday.
The rivals last met in an ODI at the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad, with hosts India winning by seven wickets.
India will look for a victory to slide into the semi-finals, while Pakistan are playing for survival in the tournament after their loss to New Zealand in the opener.
Pakistan have one change since their last match against New Zealand, with Imam-ul-Haq replacing Fakhar Zaman as the latter has been ruled out of the tournament after being injured in Pakistan’s opening match in Karachi.
The Rohit Sharma-led side are unchanged since their last encounter against Bangladesh at the same stadium, which they won by six wickets.
On the toss, Muhammad Rizwan said that it looks good that is why we want to bat first and put a good target on the board,” the Pakistan captain said.
“The boys are familiar with these conditions and if you look in the past we did well in this ground but we want to do well today as well,” he added.
On the other hand, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma also expressed their commitment to winning the game, stating “We need an overall performance from the team, though not jus the bat or ball.”
“It’s a surface that looks similar to the last game here, looks on the slower side but we have to come out and bowl well,” the Indian captain said.
“The guys are experienced with the ball – they understand what needs to be done when the pitch gets slow.”
