Champions Trophy: India win toss, bowl first in title clash with Pakistan

This is the first time Pakistan has made to the final of the mega event. Indian won the last one in 2013 beating England by five wickets. India and Sri Lanka were declared the co-champions in 2002.

Pakistan has not only never won the coveted championship but it has also never hosted the event the first of which was played in Bangladesh in 1998 and the final of the eight is underway here between Pakistan and India.

This is second face-off between Pakistan and India in this event: In their first Pool B match India had beaten Pakistan which nevertheless jumped back into the after beating South Africa and Sri Lanka in Pool B matches and England in the semifinal.

Indian team remains unchanged. Pakistan has replaced Rumman Raees, the debutant in the previous game, with Muhammad Amir who is fit now.

India (possible) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin/Umesh Yadav,10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Mohammad Amir has been ruled fit after missing the semi-final with a back spasm, meaning Rumman Raees is likely to exit the XI, despite his excellent debut.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Azhar Ali, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Mohammad Amir, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Junaid Khan
Pitch Condition:

Pakistani Captain:

Earlier Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has vowed to continue playing “attacking and positive” cricket in tomorrow’s Champions Trophy final against India. He was speaking to media ahead of the clash in London.
Sarfaraz Vows to Continue Playing “Attacking, Positive” Cricket

Asked about the performance of youngsters, the Pakistan skipper said their performance is a good sign for the team as the three debutants in the tournament — Faheem Ashraf, Rumman Raees and Fakhar Zaman — have performed really well for the team. Shadab is also performing well, he added.

On Aamer Sohail’s disparaging remarks, Ahmed said the team was not thinking about what he said.

“We have played attacking cricket so far and we will continue playing positive cricket in tomorrow’s match,” Ahmed said.

Indian Captain:

Indian captain Virat Kohli has praised the remarkable comeback of Pakistan cricket team in ICC Champions Trophy ahead of the final between the traditional rivals on Sunday.

Pakistan Can Beat Any Side of World on Its Day: Kohli

Talking to media on Saturday, Kohli said that he is aware of Pakistan’s talent and believe that Pakistan can beat any side of the world on its day.
“Everyone is aware of the kind of talent they have in their team, and on their day they can beat any side in the world. That’s the kind of players they have, and that’s the kind of ability they have in their side. So we’re quite aware of that,” Kohli said.

Micky Arthur’s winning formula

Mickey Arthur, the head coach of the Pakistan cricket team has revealed that the left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir has regained fitness and is ready to play against India in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday.

Mickey Arthur expressed that the players had been very special as they dragged themselves up after the loss to India.

Arthur giving the formula for victory said that that the top-order of Indian batting libe has done tremendously well for the team and that also meant that the middle-order hasn’t really been tested throughout the tournament.

He went on to say that if Pakistan want to create a chance for themselves, they’ll have to focus their attack on top order of the Indian batting line.

Article source: http://www.suchtv.pk/sports/item/55518-rejuvenate-pakistan-to-face-indian-today.html