Star India batter Virat Kohli arrived at training at the ICC Academy two hours before the scheduled time. He has struggled for runs in recent times and ahead of the marquee clash against Pakistan, the Delhi-born has put in a hard shift, especially aiming to produce better performances against spinners. In India’s opening game of the campaign, Kohli managed a good start but eventually fell prey to Rishad Hossain. Interestingly, it was his sixth consecutive dismissal against spinners in ODIs.
That is one area that Kohli wants to improve to help India challenge for the ongoing Champions Trophy. The majority of the bowlers he faced in the nets ahead of the Pakistan game were spinners, including a couple of leg-break bowlers, as many off-spinners and a left-arm spinner. Pakistan, on the other hand, have Abrar Ahmed as a specialist spinner while the likes of Khusdil Shah and Salman Agha.
Must-win game for Pakistan
Pakistan's Champions Trophy campaign is on shaky ground after a crushing 60-run loss to New Zealand in their opening match. Another defeat, this time against India on February 23 at the Dubai International Stadium, would leave Pakistan teetering on the brink of elimination. If New Zealand then goes on to beat Bangladesh on February 24, Pakistan's exit from the tournament would be all but confirmed.
Hence, the game against India is very much a do-or-die one for the Mohammad Rizwan-led side. The Men in Blue, on the other hand, will seal the semi-final spot with a win over Pakistan. In the meantime, Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the tournament, and Imam-ul-Haq has been called up. He is expected to open the batting alongside Babar Azam against India.
The 28-year-old played his last ODI game in 2023 and wasn’t in the scheme of things. However, with Saim Ayub and Zaman now out with respective injuries, the selectors have recalled Imam, who made 98 runs for Pakistan Shaheen in the warm-up game against South Africa.