Champions Trophy 2025: Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan wants Pakistan to emerge victorious against India
The clash between the arch-rivals on February 23 will be their sixth in the Champions Trophy.
India and Pakistan will take on each other on Sunday, February 23. The anticipation surrounding this blockbuster fixture has been palpable ever since the schedule for the ongoing edition of the Champions Trophy was revealed by the International Cricket Council. Numerous former cricketers from both nations have already spoken their mind out regarding this fixture and have mostly backed their respective nations to emerge victorious.
Former Indian cricketer, Atul Wassan, surprisingly voiced his preference for a Pakistan win at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Match 5 of the Champions Trophy 2025.
"I want Pakistan to win the match as it will make the tournament exciting. If Pakistan is eliminated, then what will be left in the contest?," shared Wassan when asked about commenting on the eagerly-awaited duel between the two sides, as quoted by Times Now.
The comments of the erstwhile right-arm medium pacer come as a genuine shock. This is due to the fact that while other former cricketers have recognised the other side's strong points, they have always stood by their team to claim victory.
Speaking of the two sides' opening games of the Champions Trophy 2025, they have experienced starkly contrasting results. While Pakistan went down by a 60-run margin against New Zealand in the curtain-raiser, India strolled past Bangladesh by winning their opening fixture by six wickets and 21 deliveries to spare. As a result, the upcoming fixture becomes a must-win game for the hosts of the marquee ODI tournament.
Pakistan hold the edge over India when it comes to the head-to-head record in the five games played in this particular tournament, leading the overall count via a 3-2 margin. However, their recent form against the cricketing giants has been far from impressive in 50-over games. Barring a washed out game at the Asia Cup in 2022, Pakistan have lost all four of their previous ODI meetings with India.
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