Champions Trophy 2025: IND vs PAK Match 5: What will happen if India lose the toss against Pakistan?

Match Overview

India and Pakistan will take on each other in Match 5 of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23. The eagerly-anticipated clash will be the sixth time the two sides will take on each other in the tournament's history.

Pakistan and India’s Recent Form

Pakistan were convincingly defeated by New Zealand in the tournament opener by 60 runs at the National Stadium. On the other hand, India claimed a six-wicket victory against Bangladesh in Dubai. Speaking of recent ODI form, Pakistan are coming into the marquee ODI tournament on the back of a loss in the final of the recently-concluded Tri-Nation Series. Meanwhile, India are arriving fresh of a thumping which they imposed on England, whitewashing them through a 3-0 margin at home.

Also Check: IND vs PAK Live Score, Match 5

Pitch and Conditions in Dubai

Speaking of the venue which will be hosting the duel, there is always a chance of dew playing its part in the latter half of the game. Although there was no appearance of the same during the second innings of the India-Bangladesh game, its occurrence cannot be completely disregarded. Considering this and how the pitch became significantly easier to bat under lights, it is expected that both the sides would bowl first on winning the toss.

Here are the scenarios of what will happen if India lose the toss against Pakistan in Match 5:

Scenario 1: India lose the toss and Pakistan opt to bat first

• Pakistan are generally considered as a better bat-first team than a chasing unit. However, in the case of batting first, they would have to display caution while facing the new-ball duo of Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana, both of who landed the ball in the correct channels against Bangladesh. The Pakistani unit would also be expected to rotate the strike during the middle phase of the innings. Considering the form most of the Indian batters are in, Pakistan would want to put an above-par total on the board.

 Scenario 2: India lose the toss and Pakistan opt to bowl first

• In this case, it will be interesting to see how the Indian openers approach the powerplay. With the pitch acting a bit double-paced in the previous game in Dubai, the top-order batters might just take it a bit easy in the first 10 odd overs of the game. With Abrar Ahmed being the sole spinner, his spell would be expected to play a vital role for Pakistan. Pakistan have been quite underwhelming with their death bowling of late. India might want to make the most of anything loose to put up a sizeable total on the board. 

Also Check: IND vs PAK Dream11 Prediction

Who will win the today toss between India vs Pakistan?

Going by the previous five instances of India and Pakistan taking on each other in the Champions Trophy, there is a higher probability which suggests that Pakistan will win the toss.