Champions Trophy 2025: Former Indian spinner predicts winner of 'overhyped' India-Pak clash

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has predicted that the much-anticipated Champions Trophy clash between India and Pakistan on February 23 at the Dubai International Stadium will be a one-sided affair, with Rohit Sharma's team having a clear edge over their arch-rivals.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan called the match "overhyped," citing Pakistan's poor form in the recently concluded Tri-Nation Series against New Zealand and South Africa. Pakistan lost twice to New Zealand—once in the league stage and again in the final—despite playing at home in Lahore and Karachi, two key venues for the Champions Trophy. Their only victory came against South Africa, chasing 353 in Karachi earlier this week.

"The match is overhyped because there is nothing in it. India are a solid side while Pakistan are inconsistent. If you look at the stats, the difference is clear," Harbhajan said.

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The veteran off-spinner pointed out that Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam struggled in the Tri-Nation Series, and he labelled the Mohammad Rizwan-led side as 'inexperienced'.

"Stats are taken from past matches, and while no one can predict the future, there is a clear gap between the two teams. India looks mature, while Pakistan relies heavily on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Their bowling isn’t in form either," he added.

Harbhajan highlighted Babar’s modest average of 31 against India and Rizwan’s average of 25, while praising Fakhar Zaman's impressive average of 46 against India, acknowledging his ability to take the game away.

In contrast, he emphasised the strong form of Indian players, including Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, and KL Rahul. Although Virat Kohli isn’t in his peak form, Harbhajan expressed confidence that he would score runs in the Champions Trophy.

"Rohit, Gill, and Axar are in form. Kohli got a half-century recently against England, and KL Rahul is also playing well. Our bowling is also in good shape," Harbhajan said.

'NZ will hammer Pak in opening match'

Looking ahead to the tournament, Harbhajan predicted that Pakistan would face a heavy defeat against New Zealand in their opener on February 19, noting that the Blackcaps had figured out how to dominate them.

"New Zealand will hammer Pakistan in the opening match. They know how to tackle Pakistan. The India-Pakistan match will be one-sided, as India are far ahead," the 44-year-old signed off.

Before wrapping up, Harbhajan highlighted the impressive averages of Indian batters against Pakistan—Virat Kohli (52), Shreyas Iyer (67), Rohit Sharma (51), and Hardik Pandya (69)—as well as the strong performances of Indian bowlers in these encounters.

The two teams last faced each other in the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, where India won by nine runs. In their previous ODI meeting during the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad, India comfortably defeated Pakistan by seven wickets.

(With inputs from agencies)