There’s still around a week to go before defending champions India lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan to start their campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy, but the mind games have already begun.
Leading the pack for Pakistan this time around is pacer Junaid Khan who has said that his side has an advantage over India, besides adding that skipper Virat Kohli will face some torrid time against him.
“I have dismissed him in three out of the four matches we have faced each other. He is a brilliant batsman but he has failed against me,” Khan was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.
READ | Pakistan looking to maintain record vs India at Champions Trophy: Sarfraz Ahmed
The two have met in four matches with the swashbuckling right-hander falling to him thrice in four matches. He also has scored just two runs in 22 balls against the speedster.
India-Pakistan matches are always a nail-biting affair and since the two no longer play bilateral series, ICC events are the only tournaments where they face each other these days.
The last time the two countries played against each other was back during the 2012-13 season when Pakistan toured India for two T20Is and three ODIs. They’re yet to play a Test match since 2007.
READ | ICC Champions Trophy: Glut of IPL games may prove good preparation for India
At his pre-tour press conference in Mumbai earlier this week, Kohli had, however, downplayed the rivalry. “India-Pakistan game is always exciting but for us it is a game of cricket. The hype around India-Pakistan games (are) not always in our control,” he had said.
Unlike the World Cup and World T20I where Pakistan are yet to win a match against India, they hold a better record against India in the Champions Trophy. In three meetings so far, Pakistan have won two while losing one game.
“We have a better record against India in the Champions Trophy, not in other competitions. We are looking to maintain that against them and it’s very exciting,” Pakistan captain Sarfraz Khan had said during his pre-tournament conference.
