The Champions Trophy is set to make its comeback to the cricket calendar for the first time since 2017, when Pakistan defeated India in the final to win their maiden title. And the stage is getting ready for another high-octane match between the two rivals.
Poll
What Are You Most Excited About in the India vs Pakistan Clash on February 23?
While Pakistan is the official host nation for the tournament, they will have to travel to Dubai to face India in their Group A match on February 23 because that’s where India will play all their matches as part of a hybrid arrangement for the tournament after India’s refusal to send the team to Pakistan to participate.
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But that will have nothing to do with the on-field contest that goes much beyond bat vs ball in an India-Pakistan clash.
In it’s build-up to the big match, Star Sports has put together a star-studded panel of former India batters Yuvraj Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu and ex-Pakistan captains Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi, all of who replied to six questions that every cricket fan on both sides of the border would want to ask them.
Here’s what they answered:
Who will be the highest scorer?
Yuvraj: Shubman Gill
Sidhu: Rohit Sharma
Afridi: Babar Azam
Inzamam: Babar Azam
Who will be the highest wicket-taker?
Yuvraj: Mohammed Shami
Sidhu: An Indian spinner
Afridi: Shaheen Shah Afridi
Inzamam: Haris Rauf
Which player will be involved in a match-defining moment?
Yuvraj: Hardik Pandya
Sidhu: Rishabh Pant
Afridi: Mohammad Rizwan
Inzamam: Fakhar Zaman
One young player to look forward to?
Yuvraj: Gill
Sidhu: Varun Chakravarthy
Afridi: Saud Shakeel
Inzamam: Saud Shakeel
Shami or Shaheen – who will have a bigger impact?
Afridi: Both know how to use the new ball, so let’s see.
Inzamam: Shaheen
Which team has the upper hand going into this game?
Yuvraj: In Dubai conditions, Pakistan has the upper hand.
Sidhu: India is a much better, balanced side.
Haq: Both the teams are equal. It also depends on the teams’ body language on the day.
Afridi: Attitude and body language will tell you which team is going to win. Honestly, we (thought we) had won the 2011 World Cup. But after our first wicket fell and the way India’s body language changed in the field, I got a feeling siting outside that we may not be able to score the runs. So it’s all about body language and how you overpower the other team.
