Champions Trophy Standstill: Reflecting on India and Pakistan's Recent Encounter in the Tournament

The 2025 Champions Trophy is currently facing a deadlock due to the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan. India has raised concerns over security issues and is unwilling to travel to Pakistan for the tournament. On the other hand, Pakistan seems hesitant to agree to a proposed hybrid model, where India would play their matches in a neutral country. Both India and Pakistan have been crucial participants in the history of the Champions Trophy. Apart from their exceptional performance in the qualifiers, their memorable clash in the previous edition's final left a lasting impression on fans. However, their current stalemate has cast uncertainty over their future participation. India's refusal to travel to Pakistan is primarily rooted in security concerns. The strained diplomatic relations between the two countries have necessitated a thorough assessment of safety measures. Despite efforts to guarantee a safe environment, India remains skeptical about the situation, raising doubts about their involvement in the tournament. In response, the organizers proposed a hybrid model, suggesting that India play their matches in an alternative country. However, Pakistan seems reluctant to accept this alternative, as it possibly undermines their ability to host international events. The impasse between the two nations has left the fate of the upcoming Champions Trophy hanging in the balance. The absence of India and Pakistan in the tournament would undoubtedly create a void. Both teams boast a huge fan base, and their matches have consistently attracted attention and excitement. The Champions Trophy would lose a significant portion of its appeal without their participation, affecting the overall viewer engagement and revenue generation. As of now, the future of the 2025 Champions Trophy remains uncertain. The cricketing world eagerly awaits a resolution to the impasse between India and Pakistan. The two nations need to find common ground and address each other's concerns to ensure the successful continuation of this prestigious tournament.

India had cruised to the final at the time and were outright favourites to win it. Pakistan, on the other hand, entered the tournament as rank outsiders and also suffered a thrashing at the hands of India in their first match. This had left them at the brink of elimination but they then beat South Africa and Sri Lanka to reach the semi-finals against the odds. They then beat the hosts England, led by Eoin Morgan at the peak of their ODI powers, by a whopping 8 wickets in a result that was by itself considered the upset of the tournament. What they did in the final, though, overshadowed that match by some distance.

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transform: rotate(32deg); animation: shinerMooving 3s infinite; z-index: 1; filter: blur(1px); } @keyframes shinerMooving { 0% { left: -40px; } 100% { left: 150%; } } Top 15 buys at IPL 2025 Auction Rishabh Pant ₹ 27 Cr DC LSG Total Match 111 Total Runs 3284 Highest Score 128 runs Shreyas Iyer ₹ 26.75 Cr KKR PBKS Total Match 115 Total Runs 3127 Highest Score 96 runs Venkatesh Iyer ₹ 23.75 Cr KKR KKR Total Match 50 Total Runs 1326 Highest Score 104 runs Wickets 3 Best Bowling 2/29 Arshdeep Singh ₹ 18 Cr PBKS PBKS Total Match 65 Total Runs 29 Highest Score 10 runs Wickets 76 Best Bowling 5/32 Yuzvendra Chahal ₹ 18 Cr RR PBKS Total Match 260 Total Runs 37 Highest Score 8 runs Wickets 205 Best Bowling 5/40 Jos Buttler ₹ 15.75 Cr RR GT Total Match 107 Total Runs 3582 Highest Score 124 runs KL Rahul ₹ 14 Cr LSG DC Total Match 132 Total Runs 4683 Highest Score 132 runs Trent Boult ₹ 12.50 Cr RR MI Total Match 104 Total Runs 83 Highest Score 17 runs Wickets 121 Best Bowling 4/18 Jofra Archer ₹ 12.50 Cr MI RR Total Match 35 Total Runs 195 Highest Score 27 runs Wickets 46 Best Bowling 3/15 Josh Hazlewood ₹ 12.50 Cr RCB RCB Total Match 12 Total Runs - Highest Score - Wickets 12 Best Bowling 3/24 Mohammed Siraj ₹ 12.25 Cr RCB GT Total Match 93 Total Runs 109 Highest Score 14 runs Wickets 93 Best Bowling 4/21 Mitchell Starc ₹ 11.75 Cr KKR DC Total Match 41 Total Runs 105 Highest Score 29 runs Wickets 51 Best Bowling 4/15 Phil Salt ₹ 11.50 Cr DC RCB Total Match 21 Total Runs 653 Highest Score 89 runs Ishan Kishan ₹ 11.25 Cr MI SRH Total Match 105 Total Runs 2644 Highest Score 99 runs Wickets - Best Bowling - Jitesh Sharma ₹ 11 Cr PBKS RCB Total Match 40 Total Runs 730 Highest Score 49 runs Check Full Coverage How the 2017 Champions Trophy final unfolded

India captain Virat Kohli had won the toss and chosen to bowl first at The Oval. Pakistan had been all out for 164 in the earlier match between the two sides but here, opener Fakhar Zaman alone scored 114 off just 106 balls as they put up a mammoth total of 338/4. He shared 128-run opening stand with Azhar Ali, who scored 59 in 71 balls and the 72-run stand with Babar Azam that came in just 61 balls. Babar and Shoaib Malik then put 47 off 39 balls for the third wicket and the innings ended with a bruising 71-run stand off just 47 balls between Mohamad Hafeez and Imad Wasim.

Such was the prowess of the Indian top three of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli that India were still expected to chase down the target. However, Mohammad Amir sent all three players in an extraordinary opening burst. Rohit fell to Amir off the third ball of the first over for a duck after which Kohli fell off the fourth ball of the pacer's next over for five runs off nine balls. Dhawan scored 21 in 22 before falling to Amir in the ninth over and India were suddenly 33/3. The rest of the Indian batting lineup rarely had to bat for long periods in that era due to the prolific form of the top three but they were suddenly entrusted to pull off a mammoth chase of 339.

India's collapse continued as Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav all fell before the end of the 17th over. After that though, there was an extraordinary fightback powered by Hardik Pandya. He shared an 80-run stand for the seventh wicket with Ravindra Jadeja which came in just 57 balls. Pandya contributed 67 in that partnership off just 35 balls. However, that fighback ended with Jadeja pretty much running Pandya out, with the latter falling after smashing 76 in 43 balls. India were eventually all out for just 158 runs. Amir finished with figures of 3/16 while pacer Hasan Ali recorded figures of 3/19.

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