The cricketing world is abuzz as two of the fiercest rivals, India and Pakistan, are about to clash. It's not just a game it's pride, passion, and history. Captaining Team India is the very Captain Rohit Sharma, a cricketer known for his cool head, destructive batting, and incisive leadership.

Match Details

• Date: February 23, 2025
• Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, UAE
• Time: 2:30

Rohit Sharma – The Leader India Trusts
Rohit Sharma has established himself as one of the best captains in contemporary cricket. His capacity to manage pressure, take sharp decisions, and play big innings in game-defining matches makes him an ideal captain for India. His previous performances against Pakistan, where he has produced match-winning scores, are remembered by fans.

With his maturity and level-headedness, Rohit is aware of what it takes to get India to the winning side. Whether to post a dominating total or pursue a large target, the Hitman is up for the challenge.

🚨 CAPTAIN ROHIT SHARMA PROMO FOR INDIA vs PAKISTAN MATCH 🚨 pic.twitter.com/tsKv5dIlCo

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 21, 2025

A Battle of Titans – India vs Pakistan
When India and Pakistan face each other on the cricket field, there is no equal thrill. The grounds are packed, millions watch it from their homes, and every ball becomes a ball of excitement. Both sides have skilled players, but India is one up with Rohit at the helm and a balanced team.

Rohit will play a pivotal role at the top of the order, giving a good start with his aggressive shots. His game-reading skills and his capacity to change the game plan are the reasons he excels as a captain.

ALSO READ:India’s Battle for Champions Trophy 2025: Full Schedule & Match Details

What Can Rohit Sharma Do in This Match?
 Aggressive Start: Rohit does not hesitate to take on bowlers at the start, which sets the tone.
 Smart Captaincy: His bowling selections and field placement can be tough on the visitors.
 Big Scores: With various centuries in do-or-die games, everyone wishes for yet another Rohit masterclass.

In a big blow to the Pakistan cricket team, opener Fakhar Zaman has been out of the big match against India on Sunday after suffering an injury in the first match of the Champions Trophy. Zaman walked off the field clutching his lower back after making a fielding attempt to stop the ball from reaching the boundary.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman will not be traveling with the team to Dubai for the highly anticipated showdown against India ❌

The aggressive left-hander suffered an injury in the opening game against New Zealand and is now likely to miss the remaining two… pic.twitter.com/nKGAmNYPOB

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) February 20, 2025

Despite the injury, Zaman batted for a while but could not open the innings. He came in to bat at No. 4 but his battle with injury seemed apparent. His agonizing stay lasted 41 balls during which he made a free-flowing 24 before being caught by Michael Bracewell.
The India-Pakistan encounter is scheduled for Sunday (February 23) in Dubai. It is a virtual elimination match for Pakistan to remain alive in the competition.

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New Zealand Overwhelm Pakistan
New Zealand comprehensively won the first match of the Champions Trophy 2025 by 60 runs. Tom Latham (118) and Will Young (107) played outstandingly to lead the side to 320/5 in their 50 overs.

Pakistan, who are already down one game, would play India in a do-or-die encounter in Dubai with full knowledge that their tournament may be over if they lose. The India game will be played on February 23.

Pakistan has not had an easy time against New Zealand in the past ten days, losing three successive matches in crucial games. The Kiwis have been in great shape, dominating Pakistan in every department. Here's a brief rundown of how events went:

Pakistan in the last 10 days against New Zealand:

8th Feb - NZ beat PAK in Tri series.

14th Feb - NZ beat PAK in Tri series Final.

19th Feb - NZ beat PAK in Champions Trophy.

- THE DOMINATION OF NEW ZEALAND..!!!! pic.twitter.com/C7MB5fuI0B

— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) February 19, 2025

ALSO SEE: Pat Cummins Withdraws from MLC 2025 Due to Workload and Injury Concerns

February 8, 2025 – Tri-Series Match
The series opened with New Zealand posting a record 331, aided by a fantastic 106* by Glenn Phillips. Pakistan resisted with Fakhar Zaman's 84 but fell short and were bowled out for 252. Black Caps are off to a good start.
February 14, 2025 – Tri-Series Final
Pakistan got an opportunity to get their revenge in the final but their batting failed once again, scoring just 242 runs. New Zealand chased it easily, with Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell guiding them to a five-wicket win.
February 19, 2025 – Champions Trophy Group Match
The biggest stage, but the same outcome. New Zealand maintained their winning streak against Pakistan, claiming another win and showing their dominance.
The Takeaway
Three losses, three games – it has not been a good period for Pakistan. New Zealand, on the other hand, have demonstrated why they are amongst the most consistent sides in world cricket. Pakistan will have to regroup and return stronger in their upcoming games.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is about to start, and the match today is a thrilling encounter between Pakistan and New Zealand. The match will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi and is all set to begin at 2:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time). Cricket enthusiasts around the globe are waiting for the live match to be viewed through different TV channels and online streaming websites.

• Match : NZ VS PAK
• Date: February 19th, 2025
• Time:  2:30 PM IST
• Venue: Karachi

LIVE STREAMING DETAILS

ALSO READ: PAK vs NZ Today Match Prediction – Who Will Win? | Match 01, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Preview & Analysis

NEW ZEALAND

Rachin Ravindra/ Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Will O Rourke, Matt Henry

PAKISTAN

Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khusdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed 

One of the most famous ODI (ODI) cricket competitions is the ICC Champions Trophy,Initially played in 1998 with the top cricket teams from around the globe. The tournament is renowned for fast matches and some excellent cricket.

Champions Trophy?

The ICC Champions Trophy is a global tournament of cricket administered by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Contrary to the ICC Cricket World Cup, where there are more teams and more extended format, the Champions Trophy is a compact tournament with merely the top-rated teams. It is sometimes nicknamed the "mini World Cup" due to the intense nature of its matches.

List of all the winners

ALSO READ:PAK vs NZ Champions Trophy Live Streaming: Where & How to Watch the Match Online & on TV

Memorable Moments in Champions Trophy History

• South Africa 1st ICC Trophy - 1998:
  The inaugural ICC Champions Trophy, which took place in Bangladesh in 1998 The tournament saw South Africa claiming their first ICC title.
  
• 2002 THE ONLY JOINT WINNERS
  After the final was rained out twice, India and Sri Lanka were declared joint winners of the tournament. The ICC game that shares a championship.
• 2006, 2009 -Aus the monopoly
  Australia took two in a row from 2006 and 2009 reaffirming their supremacy in ODI cricket
• INDIA Unbeaten 2013 -India
  India was unbeaten in the 2013 tournament and beat England in the final with the Captaincy of MS Dhoni
• Aggarka 2017 - The Historical Win Of Pakistan
  In the 2017 final held at wankley, Pakistan stunned cricketing world to beat India and it was their first ICC champions trophy.

Champions Trophy fever starts from today where title host Pakistan taking on the challengers New Zealand. Its a big game for Pakistan as its their first match of the tournament and they are the one who are hosting the tournament. The fans of Pakistan would be hoping their team would inaugrate the match with a win. 

Pakistan won the Champions Trophy title in 2017 led by Sarfaraz Khan,defeating their arch rivals India by the margin of 180 runs thanks to the innings of Fakhar Zaman who played extraordinary in that final scoring 116 of 108 balls which clearly depicted the huge difference between both the team. Due to Covid pandemic Champions Trophy was cancelled due to its orginate date. 

Read More : New Zealand Gets Another Setback Before Champions Trophy

Rizwan Gearing Up The Tone

ICC enclaved that the Champions Trophy will be held in 2025. Champions Trophy is played between top 8 teams who comes in ICC rankings. Pakistan are the hosts for the current Champions Trophy who are hosting the tournament after 14 long years. Due to major incident in 2009,International avoided travelling Pakistan. After a huge talk and stability ICC has awarded Pakistan to host the Champions Trophy. 

Its been 8 long years since Sarfaraz won the trophy way back on 2017 and after that there have been lot of changes in the team and now wicketkeeper Rizwan leading the current champion side. Mohammad Rizwan in his recent statment depicted that its been huge honour for him to represent Pakistan as captain. As title holder they will play at their best and will ensure that they will retain the trophy back. Pakistan is playing some exceptional cricket and will never dissapoint our fans at any cost. 

The Pathway To The Trophy

Pakistan have tried to get as maximum players who played the earlier edition. Fakhar Zaman remains top of their opening slot and prime member who gave the important glory to them. But still there are concerns rather than him. If you see recent scenario their main batsman Babar Azam is looking out of form. There are few concerns in bowling department too as they are leaking too much of runs at the end of overs. 

Recently Pakistan hosted a tri nation tournament between Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa where the team played well but they couldn't manage to win the final as New Zealand won the final comfortably. Though captain Rizwan showed glimse of his form but alone he can't keep the fight along. They have lost the warm up match against New Zealand too which shows some worrying signs but Pakistan has the stability to produce a good match. 

Read More : Harbhajan Singh sighs huge warning To Be Aware Of This Pakistani Player Ahead Before Their Mega Clash

 The National stadium Karachi going to be full packed today as the champions Pakistan will take on New Zealand today at 2.30 Pm. 

Pakistan Squad : Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi

New Zealand squard : Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young

In the world of cricket, the rivalries are fierce, but occasions of warmth and sportsmanship rise above them. Such was the case before the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final when a photo of MS Dhoni cradling Sarfaraz Ahmed's son, Abdullah, became viral. 
How the Iconic Photo Was Taken
Sarfaraz recently related the story behind the now-iconic photo in an interview. He remembered sitting in the lobby of the hotel with his family when he saw Dhoni in the vicinity. Aware of what a legend Dhoni is, Sarfaraz requested that Dhoni take a photo with his son. Dhoni, made the memory that would last him a lifetime.

Sarfaraz Ahmed shares the heartwarming story behind MS Dhoni's viral photo with his son❤️
See here: https://t.co/FUByLkS64B pic.twitter.com/tcnPNfuDGo

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) February 17, 2025

ALSO SEE :  How Mumbai Indians Shaping the Future of Indian Cricket

It's More Than Just a Picture
The photo struck with people from both Pakistan and India. It was not about cricketand it was about humanity, respect, and the commonality that across national boundaries. Even in a major tournament, these kinds of gestures remind us of the essence of the game.
A Lesson in Sportsmanship
Moments such as these justify the term cricket as the "gentleman's game." Sarfaraz thanked Dhoni for his courtesy and appreciated the wonderful memory. Moments such as these transcend competition and leave behind stories that fans tell forever.
The Legacy of This Beautiful Moment
Years down the line, this photo still reminds everyone of the friendships among players. Although teams fight hard on the ground, outside the playing arena, respect and courtesy always manage to shine through.

A flag-related controversy broke out ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy after a social media post, which included a photo and a short video, claimed that the Indian national flag was missing from a display of flags of participating nations at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi in Pakistan. This accusation hit home quickly enough because of the already tense political situation inbetween India and Pakistan, and not to mention India had also earlier moved their tournament matches to Dubai, due to their concern regarding security while travelling to Pakistan.

 The post on social media soon caught traction, prompting queries over if the missing flag was a conscious show of disrespect or simply an administrative blunder.

How as the media in both india and pakistan cover the controvercy ?

The way different media outlets present the incident could shape public opinon and diplomatic reactions. The tweet closely suggested this as an intentional omission, perhaps in some act of revenge or symbolism, and yet, the reality behind the lost flag is not clear .It’s possible that it was planned, that there was a logistics error, or that the display of flags had not yet been completed when the photo and video were taken.  The precise timing of the social media posting is critical, as is the requirement to independently corroborate the underlying media. Moreover, given that India wasn't scheduled at the National Bank Stadium, the lack of their flag there might seem like a separate issue but does not necessarily mean the oversight was not serious. Importantly, as it stands, the Pakistan Cricket Board, stadium management and the International Cricket Council (ICC) to address the allegations. It illustrates how sensitive sporting relations between India and Pakistan are and how easily such incidents can have a political consequence. Interpreting this news responsibly means doing so carefully, waiting on confirmation from multiple credible sources and official explanations, and holding off on definitive conclusions.

https://x.com/Rnawaz31888/status/1891070145314906408?t=zdXdeEzwpT6tWIxm55RaBQ&s=19

also read: Road to the Final: IPL 2025 Playoffs Set to Ignite

Ex-India opener Aakash Chopra has selected Pakistan's projected Playing XI for the coming Champions Trophy. In an unexpected turn of events, he shifted Babar to No. 3 following his opening stint in the recent tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa.

Shifting Babar Azam to No. 3 position means a position in the opening slot. Aakash Chopra believes Saud Shakeel can shift up the batting order to pair with Fakhar Zaman at the top, and that will enable Babar to bat at his preferred position.

Aakash Chopra Playing XI for theICC Champions Trophy 2025 :

ALSO SEE :  Will Abhishek Sharma Be SRH’s Next Vice-Captain in IPL 2025?

Aakash Chopra players to watch :

Aakash Chopra selected three Pakistani players who would be the ones to watch. They are Saud Shakeel, Khushdil Shah, and Abrar Ahmed. All three of them are capable of delivering spin bowling with Abrar being the specialist.Chopra opted to take a solid line-up which has good options in the bowling unit. Still, there remains some doubt over Haris Rauf's availability who suffered injury in the tri-series.Abrar Ahmed is the lone specialist spinner in the team with Salman Ali Agha also expected to help him with his off-spin bowling. Khushdil Shah can also roll his arm over as he did in the recent tri-series.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will have an exciting match between India and Pakistan on February 23 in Dubai. The final team line ups will be announced yet, but cricket experts have predicted the possible playing XIs for both teams.

India's Probable Playing XI:

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina believes that having a strong spin attack will be crucial. He feels that Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav can play a key role in putting pressure on the opposition, especially in Dubai’s conditions.

ALSO READ: Sri lanka created history after beating australia : A History to Remember

Pakistan's Probable Playing XI:

Pakistan, the defending champions, have a strong team with a mix of experienced players and young talent. Their fast bowling attack,  Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, is expected to be one of their biggest strengths in the ICC Champions Trophy. The India vs Pakistan match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is expected to be a thrilling match. India has a strong batting lineup and skilled spinners, while Pakistan's fast bowlers make their team equally dangerous. Both teams will be looking to win, making it an exciting big rivarly match for cricket fans.