Rizwan admitted that Pakistan could not take advantage of winning the toss and praised India's bowlers for their disciplined performance
24 February, 2025
PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan's captain Mohammad Rizwan opened up after his team’s defeat against India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Rizwan admitted that Pakistan could not take advantage of winning the toss and praised India's bowlers for their disciplined performance.
"We won the toss, but we didn't get the benefit of it. Their bowlers bowled very well. Saud Shakeel and I wanted to take the game deep, but our shot selection let us down. They put us under pressure," Rizwan said.
He also pointed out Pakistan’s struggles in all departments, especially fielding, which played a big role in their loss.
"Whenever you lose, it means you didn’t perform well in all departments. We wanted to squeeze them, but we couldn't. Kohli and Gill batted very well and took the game away from us. We need to improve in our fielding as we made a lot of mistakes," he added.
This was Pakistan’s second consecutive defeat in the tournament, following their 60-run loss to New Zealand in the opening match in Karachi.
Pakistan, batting first, managed to post 241 runs before getting bowled out in the final over. Saud Shakeel was the top scorer with a fighting half-century.
Pakistan’s innings started with a steady 41-run stand between openers Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq. However, Hardik Pandya provided India a breakthrough by dismissing Babar for 23 off 26 balls. Imam, returning to the team, was run out by Axar Patel after a slow start, leaving Pakistan at 47/2 in 9.2 overs.
After early wickets, Rizwan and Saud Shakeel built a 104-run partnership to stabilize the innings. Rizwan scored 46 off 77 balls with three boundaries before being bowled by Axar Patel in the 34th over. Saud top-scored with 62 off 76 balls, hitting five fours, before getting out eight balls later.
Pakistan lost momentum when Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Tayyab Tahir (4), reducing them to 165/5 in 36.1 overs. Vice-captain Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah tried to recover, adding 35 runs, but Kuldeep Yadav struck twice in quick succession.
Khushdil scored 38 off 39 balls with two sixes, while Naseem Shah (14) and Haris Rauf (8) made small contributions at the end.
India chased the 242-run target comfortably, reaching it with six wickets in hand and 45 balls to spare. A 114-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer guided them to victory.
Kohli was the standout performer, scoring his 51st ODI century. He remained unbeaten on 100 off 111 balls, hitting seven fours. Shreyas Iyer contributed 56 off 67 balls, striking five boundaries and a six.
Pakistan will now face Bangladesh in their final group match in Rawalpindi on February 27.
