Axar Patel produced a moment of brilliance in the field, executing a stunning direct-hit run-out to send Imam-ul-Haq back to the pavilion in the 10th over of Pakistan’s innings at the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. The Dubai International Stadium witnessed a game-changing moment as Axar’s sharp reflexes gave India their second breakthrough of the match.
Kuldeep Yadav, introduced into the attack, delivered a regulation full-length ball that Imam stepped out to drive towards mid-on. Looking to rotate the strike, he took off for a quick single. However, Axar, stationed inside the 30-yard circle, sprinted to his right, picked up the ball in one motion and fired a direct hit at the stumps. Imam fell short of his crease, giving India a crucial advantage.
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India faced an early challenge when experienced pacer Mohammed Shami had to leave the field after bowling just three overs due to an injury. This forced captain Rohit Sharma to shuffle his bowling attack, bringing in Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav to maintain the pressure on Pakistan’s batting lineup.
𝘽𝙐𝙇𝙇𝙎𝙀𝙔𝙀! 🎯💥
Axar Patel with a stunning direct hit and Imam-ul-Haq is caught short! A moment of brilliance in the #GreatestRivalry—can Pakistan recover from this setback? 👀🔥#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar 👉 🇮🇳 🆚 🇵🇰 | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star… pic.twitter.com/vkrBMgrxTi
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 23, 2025
At the toss, Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan opted to bat first, backing his team’s familiarity with the conditions. “It looks like a good surface, and we want to bat. Every ICC match is important, and we’ve done well at this venue. One change: Imam replaces Fakhar.”
Indian captain Rohit Sharma, unfazed by the toss outcome, said, “The pitch looks similar to our last game and might slow down later. It’s a great opportunity to test ourselves under pressure. We’re sticking with the same team.”
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With Axar’s stunning fielding effort and India’s early breakthroughs, the contest was already heating up in this much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(wk/captain), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
