Babar Azam became the third Pakistan batter to complete 1000 runs in ICC One-Day International tournaments during the Champions Trophy 2025 match against India in Dubai on Sunday.

Interim head coach Aqib Javed, who addressed the media after practice, did not give any specific reason for Azam's absence, saying that the former captain chose to rest.

Virat Kohli gave Babar Azam a pat in the back amid the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. A video of the same surfaced on social media as the netizens praised the sportsmanship of the two star batters, especially with both of them struggling for runs recently.

Ahead of the high-stakes ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between India and Pakistan, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam shared a touching moment, highlighting sportsmanship. Pakistan opted to bat first with Imam-ul-Haq replacing Fakhar Zaman.

Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan (C) and his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma (R) look on after the toss before the start of the ICC Champions Trophy one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Pakistan and India at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on February 23, 2025. — AFP

Ahead of the much-awaited clash between Pakistan and India, all eyes will be on former skipper and right-hand batter Babar Azam, whose performance will be on the radar, especially how he fares against the quality Indian spinners in the Champions Trophy blockbuster clash between the two sides in Dubai on Sunday.

Pakistan take on arch-rivals India in Dubai in their upcoming fixture, and need a win to get their campaign back on track.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat in their blockbuster Champions Trophy match against arch-rivals India in Dubai on Sunday. Match summary by Abyan Amir: A much better third over by Shami, 4 runs coming off it courtesy of Imam. He bowled it much fuller in this over, getting Imam to play and miss on one delivery as well.