NEW DELHI: Batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Babar Azam shared a heartwarming second forward of the much-anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 encounter between India and Pakistan on the Dubai Worldwide Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
As Babar, in full batting gear, walked out to open the innings alongside Imam-ul-Haq, he was greeted by Kohli with a heat embrace. The gesture of sportsmanship between the 2 batting icons shortly went viral, capturing the feelings of cricket followers worldwide and setting a constructive tone earlier than the high-stakes conflict.
Go Past The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan gained the toss and opted to bat first, making one change within the taking part in XI by bringing in Imam-ul-Haq for the injured Fakhar Zaman. Fakhar was dominated out of the event after being a part of their event opener.
With their event hopes hanging by a thread after a heavy 60-run defeat towards New Zealand, Pakistan confronted immense stress on this must-win encounter.
India, then again, entered the match with confidence, having crushed Bangladesh by six wickets of their opening fixture. A victory towards Pakistan would all however safe India’s place within the semi-finals, whereas a loss would just about finish Pakistan’s title defence.
Nonetheless, the beginning of the match was removed from ideally suited for India, as skilled pacer Mohammed Shami bowled an erratic opening over, conceding 5 wides in an 11-ball spell.
The gripping encounter is anticipated to ship high-intensity motion, however the Kohli-Babar second of camaraderie stays one of many early highlights of this marquee conflict.
Taking part in XIs:
- India:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav - Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
