Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf reminded India of the latter’s two losses in Dubai in 2021 and 2022 ahead of the marquee IND vs PAK clash in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Hosting an ICC tournament after 29 years, Pakistan’s semifinal hopes are hanging by a thread after their opening loss against New Zealand in Karachi.
A slip-up against India on Sunday would confirm Pakistan’s exit from the tournament in group stages. On the other hand, India, having beaten Bangladesh, just need a win to confirm a place in the knockouts. It is to be noted that India are playing all their games in Dubai.
Before the high-octane clash, Haris Rauf pointed out that Pakistan’s two wins over India three years back will act as a confidence-booster for Mohammad Rizwan’s men.
“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,” Haris Rauf told reporters in Dubai on Friday.
“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,” added the Pakistani pacer.
Clearly, Haris Rauf was referring to India losses against Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup and the in the 2022 Asia Cup, both of which were played in Dubai – the venue for Sunday.
Pakistan to miss Fakhar Zaman
However, Pakistan will miss Fakhar Zaman for the rest of the tournament as the opener injured his lower side back in the first over against New Zealand. Imam-ul-Haq has been called as a replacement.
“The New Zealand match 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,” said Haris Rauf.
