Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed remains unfazed by India’s winning start to the Champions Trophy 2025, saying ‘they hold no advantage’ over the hosts ahead of the marquee clash on Sunday in Dubai. Given that India is playing all its matches in the UAE, where (pitch) conditions are a tad different from those in Pakistan, Javed said that all CT-bound Pakistani players who have played on such surfaces over the years know more about it than their counterparts.

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While India is among the top two teams in the group after winning their tournament opener against Bangladesh (by six wickets), Pakistan sits in the fourth position, having lost the curtain-raiser to New Zealand in Karachi by 60 runs.

For them to stay in the semis contention race, they must aim at bettering their already-leading head-to-head record (3-2) against India in this competition, something Javed feels is his team’s ultimate aim.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Javed noted that the hype around the India-Pakistan game is external; as for the players, although it remains an honour to be a part of it, that’s their job as professionals to win matches for the team, and that they must take this crucial tie against India like any other game.

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"For the cricketers, this is a profession," Javed said at the pre-game presser in Dubai. 

"For them, it definitely is an honour. But, it is a profession. You try your best. In that, you sometimes lose as well. It is a match... one team will win, one will lose. How does it matter? Why so much pressure? Every game is different.

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"In a Pakistan-India game, the energy will remain high. And this is the beauty of this contest. What does the crowd do? When you play well, the crowd supports you, they clap their hands. When you play poorly, be it India or Pakistan, the home crowd will go against you. 

"As a player, you shouldn't keep the crowd in mind. We never kept it, and neither should these players. What's your focus? Ball, bat - that's it,” he continued.

India holds no advantage

Despite the Men in Blue sitting comfortably in the race for the top-four finish, Javed feels they hold no advantage whatsoever against Pakistan. 

"There's no advantage [for India] at all because if you look at all the Pakistani players, they have been playing leagues here. The PSL has been played here. So, there's nothing really - there's no advantage or disadvantage,” he said.

Although a fresh wicket was used for the India-Bangladesh game, it remains to be seen what surface is picked for the marquee India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy match.

"We also have to see the pitch and the ground here. Are these similar to the one we have in Pakistan or are they different? We will play in accordance with the pitches, conditions and the opposition team,” Javed concluded. 

(With inputs from agencies)