India vs Pakistan is the mother of all matches. The two Asian giants will script another chapter in this iconic rivalry in Dubai this Sunday (Feb 23) in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Although Pakistan holds a better head-to-head record (3-2) over India in tournament history, India will enter this contest as hot favourites, something the former Indian quick Atul Wassan feels would be no fun.

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Reflecting on this iconic rivalry on the eve of the match, the cricketer-turned-broadcaster said he wishes to see Pakistan prevail in this high-octane clash, as it would make things exciting in Group A, with three teams having two points each. This way, everyone remains hooked to the competition till the end. 

Besides, speaking on India’s latest success against their arch-rivals across two formats, Wassan says it’s like watching Amitabh Bachchan punching villains (in old Bollywood movies) without getting hit, which was never fun to him. 

Also read | Champions Trophy 2025: How can Pakistan qualify for semis if they lose to India | Explained

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Pakistan might be the defending champions, but they haven’t won a single ODI against India in their past five contested matches, with their last win coming in the 2017 Champions Trophy final.

Meanwhile, both the teams have had contrasting starts to this edition, with Pakistan losing to New Zealand (by 60 runs) in their first game, while India beat Bangladesh by six wickets in their tournament opener in Dubai.

“I want Pakistan to win because it will make the rest of the tournament more exciting. If Pakistan plays well and wins, there will be a real contest," Atul Wassan said in a chat with ANI. "It's like Amitabh Bachchan - if he keeps punching the enemies nonstop, there's no fun in watching it. I hope Pakistan makes a comeback; it will be good for the tournament.”

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How did the shift happen?

Pakistan was a force to reckon with until the early 2000s, having tasted plenty of success against India in the ODIs. However, since then, the momentum shifted towards India, who remain the most daunting team in world cricket, let alone in this rivalry.

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Speaking on the same lines, Wassan said, "Until Pakistan improves its cricket, there's no excitement in watching India vs Pakistan games. When I played in the '90s, Pakistan had so many great players - Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Saeed Anwar. We used to lose to them quite often.

"Whatever happened in Pakistan affected their cricket, and they suffered because of it. Meanwhile, India have only grown stronger. Since the 2000s, we have dominated them," he concluded. 

(With inputs from agencies)