Shubman Gill gives his take on India vs Pakistan [Source: @mufaddal_vohra, @ImTanujSingh/x]
Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill has made a bold claim regarding the Pakistan cricket team a day prior to their big 2025 ICC Champions Trophy showdown at the Dubai International Stadium. Team India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, is slated to go up against Mohammad Rizwan’s Pakistan in match number five of the tournament on Sunday, February 23.
A day before the highly-awaited showdown, Gill played down the intense cricketing rivalry shared between the two competitive nations.
Shubman Gill downplays Pakistan rivalry
On February 22, Indian vice-captain and in-form opener Shubman Gill played down his team’s storied rivalry with age-old nemesis Pakistan. As reported by the Times of India, the Indian opening batter said:
“India vs Pakistan is a big match but the final is always the biggest match of any tournament.”
The match between India and Pakistan will be hosted by the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, February 23 and the action is slated to commence from 2:30 PM IST onwards. Team India won its opening match of the tournament by defeating Bangladesh with a six-wicket margin in Dubai.
The Pakistan team, on the other hand, fell to a 60-run drubbing to New Zealand in Karachi in the opening match of the competition on February 19. The match against India marks a must-win one for the ‘Men in Green’ as they aim to clinch a spot in the semifinals of their ‘home’ ICC event.
Shubman Gill, who was appointed as Team India’s ODI vice-captain, seems to be in good nick at the moment in 50-overs internationals. Apart from winning the ‘Player of the Series’ award for minting 259 runs in three matches against England earlier this month, Gill also scored a cracking 101* against Bangladesh to headline India’s six-wicket win in the game.