Shubman Gill opens up on upcoming Pak-India clash at CT 2025

DUBAI: Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill has said that batting second will be under pressure in the hotly-anticipated IND v PAK clash at the Champions Trophy 2025.

Addressing a press conference, Shubman Gill emphasised that batting second will be more challenging due to the absence of dew on Sunday, which has historically played a significant role in Dubai.

“We definitely want to play positive and aggressive cricket. 300-325 will be a very good score on this wicket. The team batting well in the middle overs will have a better chance of winning,” Gill said. “Toss won’t matter as there is no dew. Team batting second will have more pressure”.

Gill scored a century in India’s first match against Bangladesh.

He believes that a score of 300-325 would be “very good” on the Dubai pitch, stressing the importance of playing positively and aggressively, particularly during the middle overs.

The India-Pakistan match is expected to be a high-stakes encounter, with Pakistan facing a must-win situation after losing their opening match to New Zealand. On the other hand, India won their opener against Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali mentioned concerns about Pakistan’s victory over India in CT25 in their upcoming Champions Trophy match.

In a recent interview on ARY News programme “Har Lamha Purjosh”, Basit Ali said that keeping Pakistan’s victory over India in CT25 in current form would be considered a major upset.

“The way Pakistan is playing cricket, India has an 85 percent chance of winning, while Pakistan’s chances are only 15%,” he said and “If Pakistan wins, it will be a big upset.”

Former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal resonated with Basit Ali’s opinions, saying that an upset is possible and India holds a ‘clear advantage’.

“We can call it an upset because the Indian team is complete,” Kamran Akmal said. “The only chance for Pakistan’s victory over India in CT25 is to take early wickets with the new ball,” he added