Blame Game In Pakistan Cricket Team After Defeat Against Team India In Champions Trophy 2025, Captain Mohammad Rizwan Says THIS
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan will be left lamenting “mistakes” as his side reflects on a heart-breaking ICC Champions Trophy 2025 defeat to arch-rivals India. The loss in Dubai has put the hosts on the brink of elimination, with their semi-final hopes now hanging by a thread, dependent entirely on other results. Having lifted the Champions Trophy in 2017, Pakistan’s journey this time around has been far from ideal. Their lackluster performances against both India and New Zealand have left them grappling with tough questions. And those questions were exactly what Rizwan had to face in a brutally honest post-match press conference following the team’s six-wicket defeat to India.
Despite winning the toss and electing to bat first, Pakistan failed to capitalize. Their innings never truly gained momentum, and a cautious approach in the middle overs proved costly. Rizwan himself played a slow innings of 46 off 77 balls, while Saud Shakeel contributed 62 off 76 deliveries. The pair stitched a 104-run stand, but the scoring rate remained pedestrian, allowing India to dictate terms.
Once the partnership was broken, the innings crumbled. Pakistan could only muster 241 runs—a target India chased down with ease, thanks to an unbeaten century from Virat Kohli. The Indian talisman’s 51st ODI ton once again proved to be the difference-maker, guiding his side to victory with 45 balls to spare.
In his post-match remarks, Rizwan accepted that Pakistan’s batting approach had backfired. “We made the same mistakes we’ve been making for a while now,” he admitted. “Our shot selection was poor, and we couldn’t manage the pressure. The middle order struggled, and that cost us dearly.”
Pakistan’s bowling attack, which was expected to challenge India’s powerful batting lineup, failed to deliver when it mattered most. The only moment of hope came when Shaheen Afridi produced a peach of a delivery to clean up Rohit Sharma early in the chase. However, Shubman Gill and Kohli steadied the ship with a solid 69-run stand, effectively ending Pakistan’s chances.
Adding to their woes, Pakistan’s fielding was subpar. A couple of dropped catches and missed opportunities allowed India to take control of the game. Rizwan acknowledged this issue, saying, “We wanted to squeeze them, but we couldn’t. Kohli and Gill batted exceptionally well, and our fielding mistakes hurt us badly.”
Pakistan now finds itself in a precarious situation, relying on Bangladesh to pull off an upset against New Zealand to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Otherwise, the defending champions will be eliminated in the group stage—a shocking outcome for a team that entered the tournament with high expectations.
The road ahead won’t be easy. The hosts will return to Rawalpindi to face Bangladesh in their final group-stage match, but their fate is no longer in their hands. India, meanwhile, will take on New Zealand in a high-stakes clash that will determine the final semi-final lineup.
With Pakistan’s title defense in jeopardy, questions about leadership, team selection, and strategy will dominate discussions in the coming weeks. Rizwan, despite his best efforts, has struggled to inspire his side in crunch situations. Whether this marks the beginning of a major overhaul in Pakistan cricket remains to be seen.
For now, the only certainty is that Pakistan must confront its shortcomings head-on if it hopes to reclaim its past glory. And that starts with learning from yet another painful defeat to their fiercest rivals.
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