Both these teams head into the game on the back of contrasting runs of form. The Men in Blue inflicted a whitewash on the visiting Englishmen in the ODI series prior to the multi-nation tournament. They then went on to beat Bangladesh by six wickets to get two points to begin the tournament.
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Pakistan, on the other hand, faced a 60-run loss against New Zealand. The Mohammed Rizwan-led side need to clinch victories in both of their remaining matches to qualify for the semi-finals.
While India produced a well-coordinated effort to defeat Bangladesh, Pakistan were found wanting in all departments. Their chase lacked intensity and lack of early breakthroughs meant that the Kiwis were able to pile up runs aplenty.
Predicted Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami
Pakistan: Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
Head-to-Head
The two sides have faced each other five times in the Champions Trophy. Unlike the ODI World Cup, where India have maintained a formidable unbeaten record, Pakistan have triumphed thrice, including in the all-important finals of the previous edition of the tournament in 2017.
Key Players to Watch Out
Shubman Gill (India)
The Indian vice-captain has scored centuries in both of his previous ODI innings. Shubman Gill seems to have found the perfect tempo for his game in the 50-overs format. Rohit Sharma’s swashbuckling starts allow Gill the time needed early on to lay the foundation of his innings.
He goes on to take the attack to the opposition in the middle overs, dominating against spinners and pacers alike. Gill could be the key if India are to overcome the new-ball threat against Pakistan.
Mohammed Rizwan (Pakistan)
The Pakistani batting did not pace their chase as well as they should have against New Zealand. As the captain, Mohammad Rizwan will have to start taking the onus to snap such patterns. Bangladesh’s firm response against India in the middle overs shows that there are ample loopholes for Rizwan & Co. to exploit against the Men In Blue’s depleted pace attack. Will they manage to do that on the slightly slower surface in Dubai?
Pitch Report
The average first innings score in 59 ODIs on this ground is 218, which suggests that a fairly balanced contest between the bat and ball is on the cards on Sunday.
Weather Report
Sunny weather with absolutely no chances of rain and 38% humidity, with wind blowing at 16 km/hr is likely in Dubai.
Where to Watch
The match will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. It will be simultaneously live streamed on the Jio Hotstar application, with the game commencing at 2:30 pm IST.
