Champions Trophy 2025: Countdown to IND vs PAK begins as fans from India and Pakistan fuel the hype

The ICC Champions Trophy kicks off on February 19, with hosts Pakistan facing New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi. This marks the first time Pakistan is hosting an ICC tournament since 1996. The 2025 edition also signals the tournament's return after an eight-year long hiatus and the first multi-team ICC event on Pakistani soil since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team.

While the Champions Trophy features the top eight teams in the world, the hype is mostly centered around one match that has consistently proven to be iconic！the India vs Pakistan clash. In this tournament, the game will take place on Sunday (February 23) in Dubai.

Fans from India and Pakistan fuel the hype

Ahead of this highly anticipated match, fans from both countries have taken to X (formerly known as Twitter) to keep the excitement alive by discussing the game and its potential impact on the points table.

While Indian fans are confident, Pakistani fans have been making jokes, stating that before even worrying about losing to India, they are already nervous about their game against New Zealand. If they lose to the Black Caps, their match against India will turn into a must-win situation.

One user wrote, "Pak is the first team to be eliminated as per schedule. The moment you lost to Nzl today, you entered a must-win situation against Ind. 2017 remains the only win for this generation. In fact, the last three generations have nothing to show."

Pak is the first team to be eliminated as per schedule.

The moment you lost to Nzl today, you entered a must-win situation against Ind.

Ind vs. Pak in ICC events = ?

2017 remains the only win for this generation. In fact, the last three generations have nothing to show.

！ ???Sinbal (@balaganesh1986) February 19, 2025

Another said, "I have an exam on 23rd and that too from 2-5. Ind vs Pak bhi usi din h. First innings to gyi (IND vs PAK is on the same day. There goes the first innings). Anyways we already know the result."

I have an exam on 23rd and that too from 2-5. Ind vs pak bhi usi din h. First innings to gyi?

Anyways we already know the result#ChampionsTrophy2025

！ Siddharth Roy (@Siddharth_Roy26) February 19, 2025

One fan shared, "Overheard a group of boys chatting how they are scared about Pak vs Ind and one naive one out of them was like I will quit watching cricket if Pakistan loses to India. I couldn't hold back and had to tell them tum India ka soch rahe ho, meri kal walay match k liye phatti pari hai." ('You're worrying about India? I'm already terrified for tomorrow¨s match!')

Overheard a group of boys chatting how they are scared about Pak vs Ind and one naive one out of them was like I will quit watching cricket if Pakistan loses to India. I couldn¨t hold back and had to tell them tum India ka soch rahe ho meri kal walay match k liye phatti pari hai.

！ musa goglu zindabad (@TheOmarrization) February 18, 2025

Another wrote, "bachpan mai ind vs pak eik event hota tha hmari family main. sb cousins mil k match dektay thay. chota sa hota tha. koi social media nai pooray match mai mil k roast krtay thay sb team ko. fav dishes bnti thien. celebration hoti thi. i miss those days so much." (Back in childhood, IND vs. PAK was a big event in our family. All cousins would gather to watch the match together. We were so young, there was no social media！just pure fun, roasting the teams together. Our favorite dishes were made, and celebrations were grand. I miss those days so much.)

BACHPAN MAI IND VS PAK EIK EVENT HOTA THA HMARI FAMILY MAIN. SB COUSINS MIL K MATCH DEKHTAY THAY. CHOTA SA HOTA THA????
KOI SOCIAL MEDIA NAI POORAY MATCH MAI MIL K ROAST KRTAY THAY SB TEAM KO.?

FAV DISHES BNTI THIEN. CELEBRATION HOTI THI. I MISS THOSE DAYS SO MUCH

！ T. (@TAHREEM__FATIMA) February 18, 2025

IND vs PAK: Squads

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

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