Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan off to slow start once again against India

Pakistan’s top-order batters once again struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking in their Champions Trophy clash against India, facing 28 dot balls in the first six overs—matching their slow start from the tournament opener against New Zealand.  

This statistic was highlighted on social media by sports correspondent Danyal Rasool, pointing out that no other team has played as many dot balls in the powerplay in this year’s tournament.  

"Pakistan have played 28 dot balls in the first 6 overs here. This is the joint highest number in the first 6 for any innings this Champions Trophy... matching the 28 dot balls Pakistan played against New Zealand in the first game," Rasool wrote.  

Pakistan’s openers, Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq, started cautiously after captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium. However, their approach mirrored the struggles they faced against New Zealand, where the inability to rotate strike put pressure on the middle order and ultimately led to a heavy defeat.  

Despite the slow start, Pakistan will be hoping to build momentum and avoid the mistakes from their first game as they take on arch-rivals India in a must-win encounter.