While the upcoming Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday is highly anticipated, Pakistan's star speedster Haris Rauf has downplayed the hype. He stated that his team will approach the game against Rohit Sharma's India with the same mindset as any other match, focusing on winning the game to stay afloat in the tournament. Pakistan's opening loss to New Zealand in Karachi has made this match against India a must-win if they want to remain in contention for semifinal berth in the eight-team tournament. India, on the other hand, will enter this high-pressure encounter with momentum on their side, having secured a six-wicket win against Bangladesh, a match highlighted by Shubman Gill's unbeaten century.
Pakistan can beat India: Haris Rauf
Rauf has openly said that there is no pressure in the match against India and all the Pakistan players are relaxed despite the opening match jitter.
"There is no pressure in the match against India, all the players are relaxed and we will take it just like any other match," Rauf told reporters, during Pakistan's training session in Dubai.
Rauf also stressed on the team's intention to put their opening loss against New Zealand behind them and concentrate on the crucial Group A match against India on February 23. Pakistan's defense of their Champions Trophy title began disastrously with a 60-run defeat in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19. The loss was particularly disappointing given the enthusiastic home crowd, who were excited to witness the return of an ICC event to Pakistan after a 29-year hiatus.
"That match (New Zealand) is gone. We are focused on the India game. We want to make sure that we don't repeat the mistakes from that match here. This is a very important match for us. We want to win it to make sure we qualify for the semi-final," he added.
Pakistan faces the very real possibility of an early exit from the Champions Trophy, potentially being knocked out at home in just their second group stage match. However, pacer Haris Rauf insists that the 2017 champions are not feeling any added pressure.
The Pakistani team arrived in Dubai from Karachi on Thursday and scheduled their first training session for Friday. Despite the crushing loss in their tournament opener, Pakistan is drawing hope from their recent positive results against India. They believe these past performances will boost their confidence going into the crucial match. Pakistan famously defeated India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final by a resounding 180 runs to claim their first title in the tournament. They also have a record of two T20I wins against India in Dubai. However, India won both of the ODIs that were played in Dubai in 2018.
Rauf further said that the past record against India will only boost Pakistan's confidence heading into the high-octane clash.
"No doubt, it will (boost our confidence). We have beaten India here in back-to-back years. We will try and repeat the good things from those games and try and beat India. I hope it's a good match. No doubt, the record is good. But it depends on the pitches. It might be a spin track. We will look at the conditions and try and use them well," he concluded.
Pakistan will head into the clash against India without their superstar opener Fakhar Zaman, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the Champions Trophy 2025. PCB has announced Imam Ul Haq as Fakhar Zaman's replacement in Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad.
Pakistan's updated squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, 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.
