Green shirts lead India-Pakistan Champions Trophy encounters
Pakistan has beaten India two times out of three in ICC mini World Cups, during 2004 and 2009
LAHORE (Web Desk) – The arch-rivals India and Pakistan have faced each other three times in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy. Green shirts lead these encounters by two victories over their neighbours.
Pakistan has defeated India two times in ICC Champions Trophy matches. During 2004 and 2009, the green shirts outplayed men in blue with their sublime performance. However, tables were turned in 2013, during the last encounter between the arch-rivals, in which rain and the Duckworth-Lewis method favoured India.
What experts have to say about India-Pakistan match on June 4:
Pakistan will lose to India yet again, claimed former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly
Defending his home side, Younis Khan said Pakistan has the ability to beat India in the upcoming Champions Trophy battle
Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan said he has dismissed Virat Kohli in three out of four matches played together while claiming a upper hand over the run-machine.
Captain of green shirts Sarfraz Ahmed looked confident in a pre-match presser where he said his team will try to maintain the superior record over the opposition in CT matches.
Waqar Younis listed out his picks for potential Champions Trophy winners and Pakistan was not among his list.
ICC Champions Trophy 2004, Edgbaston, Birmingham
The first face-off between India and Pakistan during ICC Champions Trophy took place in Birmingham during 2004 in which India lost the toss and was invited by green shirts to bat first. The fiery pace of Shoaib Akhtar caused sufficient damage to the batting side which was restricted for 200 runs. Akhtar picked 4/36 to dent the Indian batting lineup. Mohammad Yousaf, known as Yousuf Youhana at that time, played an unbeaten knock of 81 to guide his team to victory.
VIDEO: Shoaib Akhtar s 4 wickets against India in Champions Trophy 2004:
ICC Champions Trophy 2009, SuperSport Park, Centurion
In Centurion, men in blue faced Pakistan for the second time in CT matches. Shoaib Malik played a prolific innings of 128 runs with 16 fours to set a target of 303 runs for the opposition. Indian pacer Ashish Nehra picked up 4/55 in that game. In reply, India cricket team was restricted for 248 runs, as Mohammad Amir, Naved-ul-Hasan, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi all picked two wickets each. Malik was named man of the match for the unforgettable innings in the mini World Cup.
VIDEO: Shoaib Malik s 128 against India in Champions Trophy 2009:
ICC Champions Trophy 2013, Edgbaston, Birmingham
During the third match, played at Birmingham again, Pakistan was invited to bat first which didn’t go very well as the side was dismissed for a mere 165. Only Asad Shafiq looked good but he too fell for 41 runs to his name. Indian bowlers, with their combined effort, bowled out the opposition for a low score. The opener Shikhar Dhawan stayed solid at the crease during the second innings by scoring 48 runs. The match was stopped due to rain as India scored 102/2 after 22 overs. The Duckworth-Lewis method was applied which obviously favoured India due to their strong position in the game.
In this way, India and Pakistan stand at 1-2 in Champions Trophy games. Pakistan s CT win record against India is far better than the World Cup 11-0 losing streak. The arch-rivals will again play at Edgbaston, Birmingham, which will be their third CT match at the venue on June 4.
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