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The Champions Trophy starts next week with a match between Pakistan and New Zealand. While the top eight ODI teams are competing in the marquee event, the one match that all fans in the sub-continent are looking forward to is the India vs Pakistan match, which will take place in Dubai on February 23. While the arch-rivalry between the two teams is legendary, this time the match hold extra significance in the back-drop of what happened in the build-up of the Champions Trophy 2025.
The Champions Trophy 2025 was originally supposed to take place in Pakistan wholly, but the BCCI stated that it would not be sending the Indian cricket team to the country. Then, after much deliberation, it was decided that the tournament will be played in a hybrid format, with India playing all its matches in Dubai.
The decision has clearly left the Pakistan fans miffed, who after years hoped to see an India vs Pakistan clash in their own country. According to Pakistan journalist Farid Khan, Pakistan cricket fans are angry with India. He posted a video showing a Pakistan cricket fan asking the Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan team to keep its friendship aside with Indian cricketers till the Champions Trophy match. He also tells Pakistan players "to not hug Virat Kohli and other Indian players".
Pakistan fans really angry with Indian cricket team
They want Pakistan players to not hug Indian players during Champions Trophy
pic.twitter.com/ctH30kOBVb
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) February 15, 2025
Unlike in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup or the Men's T20 World Cup, where India has a significant advantage over Pakistan, the Men in Green have a 3-2 advantage against the latter in the Champions Trophy.
In fact, during the 2017 Champions Trophy final the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Pakistan beat Virat Kohli's India to achieve on of the most famous victories in the country's history. India had beaten Pakistan in the group stage and it was expected that the Kohli-led team would lift the title too. But Pakistan surprised all with their inspired show.
"Afterwards (following defeat to India in the group stage), we had a great team meeting, and some of our senior guys - Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez - all said their piece. You need those types of characters around you. We changed our mindset from that day. The acrimony was very good for us, we made a couple of changes to the team and it helped our confidence," said the former captain as quoted by ICC.