India is set to face Pakistan in Match 5 of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23.
However, the toss moment took an unexpected turn when former India cricketer Ravi Shastri made a slip-up.
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bat first. But after speaking with Rizwan, Shastri mistakenly turned to Rohit Sharma and asked for his decision.
Handling the moment with ease, Rohit responded with a smile, “Doesn’t really matter, they won the toss, so we’ll bowl first.”
Pakistan made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Imam-ul-Haq to replace the injured Fakhar Zaman, who was not originally in the squad.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, continuing his streak of not winning tosses, noted that the pitch looked similar to the one used against Bangladesh in India’s previous game. He acknowledged that the challenge posed by Bangladesh had been beneficial for the team early in the tournament.
“Looks similar to the last game, the surface is on the slower side. We have an experienced batting unit, so we know what to do if the pitches get slower. We need an overall performance—both with the bat and ball. The last game wasn’t easy, which was a good test for us. We’re playing the same team,” Rohit stated.
On the other hand, Rizwan emphasized Pakistan’s intent to put up a strong total, acknowledging the importance of every match in an ICC event.
“Will bat first, looks like a good surface. Want to put up a good target. Every match is important in ICC events, so we will keep things normal. The boys are familiar with these conditions, we have done well here, and we want to do our best today. We lost our last game, but that’s in the past. One change – Fakhar is out, Imam is in,” Rizwan revealed.