India and Pakistan faced off in a lopsided contest during the Champions Trophy on Sunday, with Rohit Sharma's team achieving an impressive 6-wicket victory in Dubai. In pursuit of 241 runs, India benefited from outstanding performances by Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, who scored 56 runs, allowing the team to reach the target in a mere 42.3 overs. This defeat has complicated Pakistan's path to the semi-finals, as they now find themselves in a precarious position, needing to rely on the outcomes of other matches to secure advancement to the knockout stage.

Although the loss to India does not eliminate Pakistan from contention, it has significantly undermined their chances of qualification. With a concerning net run rate of -1.087, they must now depend on India and Bangladesh to defeat New Zealand in the remaining group-stage matches.

New Zealand, who previously triumphed over Pakistan in the tournament, will face Bangladesh on Monday in Rawalpindi, while India is set to play against New Zealand in their final group-stage match on March 2.

Should New Zealand win against Bangladesh, they will clinch a semi-final spot alongside India, turning the final round of Group A into a contest for the top two positions. In such a scenario, Pakistan's campaign would conclude, irrespective of the outcome of their last match.

For Pakistan, the situation is clear: they must hope for an upset from Bangladesh against New Zealand and then secure a victory over Najmul Hossain Shanto's team in their final group match in Rawalpindi.

A poor campaign for Pakistan

Mohammad Rizwan's team experienced a disappointing performance in both of their matches during the Champions Trophy group stage. They suffered a 60-run loss to New Zealand, struggling throughout their pursuit of 321 runs in Karachi. Their prominent batsman, Babar Azam, faced significant criticism for scoring only 64 runs off 90 balls during the chase.

In their match against India, Pakistan chose to bat first, but this decision did not yield favourable results, as they failed to establish a formidable total. The team struggled with a sluggish start, managing only 99 runs for the loss of 2 wickets after 25 overs. As the pressure mounted on the scoreboard, Pakistan quickly lost wickets in the latter part of their innings.

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