The much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2025 encounter between India and Pakistan is just around the corner. While Pakistan lost the tournament opener to New Zealand by 60 runs, India beat Bangladesh by six wickets. Mohammad Rizwan-led side's match against India on February 23 is a must-win encounter for them. Ahead of the clash, former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Amir has said that Team India looks strong on paper but they made a lot of mistakes in the match against Bangladesh.
"On the day of a match between India and Pakistan, the team that makes fewer mistakes wins," Amir said.
"The Indian team looks strong on paper. If we look at their performance in the bilateral series, they have also played well, but the Indian team made a lot of mistakes in the first match they played against Bangladesh. Now there is a pressure match with Pakistan as well, so if the Indian team makes the same mistakes against Pakistan, then Pakistan has a chance of winning the match."
While Pakistan looked lacklustre in their first game across departments, Amir feels a win against India will boost their confidence to an extent that the defending champions will reach the final again. He feels that the team won't be doing much chopping and changing in the playing XI barring the forced change after Fakhar Zaman's injury.
"There will hardly be any change in the team. Either Imam ul Haq or Usman Khan can play. There will be no change in the rest of the team," the 32-year-old.
India vs Pakistan previous Champions Trophy clash
The last time India and Pakistan met in a Champions Trophy encounter was in the final of the previous edition. Amir was exceptional with the new ball as he got rid of the top-order batters Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli.
India vs Pakistan ODI head-to-head in Dubai
India have a perfect ODI record against Pakistan in Dubai. In their last encounter, Rohit and Dhawan scored centuries and chased down the target of 238 with ease. In their first ODI at the venue, India bowled them out for 162, courtesy three-fers from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kedar Jadhav. India chased down the target with eight wickets in hand and 21 overs to spare.