Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir believes that while India may look formidable on paper, their performance against Bangladesh exposed some vulnerabilities that Pakistan can exploit in their upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash.
Speaking in a recent interview, Amir pointed out that India weren’t at their best in their opening game, making errors that could prove costly in a high-pressure match against Pakistan.
“On the day of an India-Pakistan match, the team that makes fewer mistakes wins,” Amir said.
“If you look at India’s record in bilateral series, they have played well, but they made a lot of mistakes against Bangladesh. If they repeat those mistakes against Pakistan, we will have a real chance.”
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While Pakistan struggled in all departments during their opening defeat to New Zealand, Mohammad Amir believes a win against India could be a turning point, boosting the team’s confidence and putting them back on track for a potential Champions Trophy final appearance.
Regarding Pakistan’s playing XI, Amir doesn’t expect wholesale changes, apart from a forced swap due to Fakhar Zaman’s injury.
“There won’t be many changes. Either Imam-ul-Haq or Usman Khan will replace Fakhar, but the rest of the team will likely remain the same,” he added.
It’s worth noting that Pakistan are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 60-run loss to New Zealand in their opening match in Karachi.
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Meanwhile, India started their Champions Trophy campaign with a convincing win against Bangladesh as they comfortably chased a 229-run target against Bangladesh, thanks to a brilliant 101-run knock by Shubman Gill.
Historically, Pakistan has a slight edge over India in the Champions Trophy, winning three out of their five meetings.
Their last encounter in the tournament was the 2017 final, where Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side produced a dominant performance, thrashing India by 180 runs to lift their first-ever Champions Trophy title.
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