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The stage is set for one of cricket’s biggest rivalries as India takes on Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on February 23 in Dubai. This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams in the history of the Champions Trophy, with Pakistan leading 3-2 in head-to-head encounters.
While Pakistan triumphed in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, India has dominated ICC tournaments overall, winning 16 out of 21 clashes across World Cups and Champions Trophies.
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Ashwin: “India Faces Less Pressure Against Pakistan”
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that India no longer feels the same pressure when facing Pakistan, unlike previous years. He pointed out that Pakistan appears to struggle under immense expectations during these high-profile encounters.
“At present, whenever India and Pakistan play against each other, the Indian team is not under that much pressure compared to what the Pakistan team experiences. The Indian team is much more relaxed in these games.
“Pakistan, on the other hand, plays under a lot of pressure. You can see it in their body language. It’s a bit sad, but I believe this Pakistan team has the quality. If it’s their day, they can outperform India,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel, Ash ki Baat.
Ashwin’s Semi-Final Predictions for Champions Trophy 2025
With two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals, Ashwin has named his four picks for the knockout stage:
✅ India
✅ New Zealand
✅ South Africa
✅ England
He also mentioned that Afghanistan has an outside chance of making it to the final four.
“This Indian team is champion material. My only concern is having five spinners in the squad. But this squad has the ability to win back-to-back ICC trophies. If India wins the toss in Dubai twice, I see an India-New Zealand final as the most likely outcome.”
India’s Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule
- February 20 – vs Bangladesh (Dubai) ✅
- February 23 – vs Pakistan (Dubai) 🔥
- March 2 – vs New Zealand (Dubai)
With India already off to a winning start in the tournament, all eyes will be on their high-stakes encounter against Pakistan to see if Ashwin’s predictions hold true!
