In a high-voltage Champions Trophy 2025 clash, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first against India in Lahore. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan, leading the side in the absence of Babar Azam as captain, chose to put runs on the board in the much-anticipated contest.
However, the focus also shifted to Rohit Sharma’s unfortunate streak of toss losses, as he failed to win the toss yet again, continuing a losing streak since the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. When asked what he would have chosen if India had won the toss, Rohit avoided answering directly, instead stating that it “doesn’t really matter.”
Captains’ Reactions at the Toss
Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan Captain): “Will bat first, looks like a good surface. Want to put up a good target. Every match is important in ICC events, we will keep things normal. The boys are familiar with these conditions, we have done well here and we want to do our best today. We lost our last game, but it is past for us now. One change – Fakhar is out, Imam is in.”
Rohit Sharma (India Captain): “Doesn’t really matter, they won the toss so we’ll bowl first. Looks similar to the last game, the surface is on the slower side. We have an experienced unit in batting so we know what we need to do if the pitches get slower. Need an overall performance from the team – with bat and ball. The last game wasn’t an easy one for us, which is always nice. You want to be under pressure and test yourself. We are playing the same team.”
Playing XIs
India:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
Pakistan:
Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
With Pakistan choosing to bat first, all eyes will be on India’s bowling attack to set the tone in this crucial Group-stage encounter.