WATCH: Former stars name their pick ahead of blockbuster IND vs PAK clash in CT 2025, Virat Kohli ignored

The 2025 Champions Trophy is set to witness eight teams battle it out for the second biggest prize in ODI cricket. The biggest match of the tournament will be played on 23rd February, when Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Rizwan will face off in the India vs Pakistan encounter. 

Star Sports recently hosted a special show with former India and Pakistan stars as part of the guest list. From the Indian side, the guests were Yuvraj Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu. While from the Pakistani side it was former captains Inzamam Ul Haq and Shahid Afridi. 

Jatin Sapru, who was hosting the show, began by asking who would be the leading scorer in the India vs Pakistan match. Babar Azam was the unanimous choice as far as the Pakistani camp was concerned. Yuvraj Singh named Shubman Gill, while Sidhu decided to go for Rohit Sharma as the leading scorer from India’s side. 

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It was a surprising call considering none of the members on the panel named Virat Kohli. India’s former skipper has a good record against Pakistan in ICC tournaments. The 36-year-old has also scored 529 runs so far from 13 matches. Kohli’s best knock against Pakistan in the ICC's ODI tournament was his century at Adelaide during the 2015 World Cup. 

Former stars name their favorite picks ahead of massive CT2025 clash

Jatin Sapru asked the panel who could be the leading wicket taker in the match. Yuvraj Singh named Mohammed Shami, while Sidhu said that spinners could hold the sway. Inzamam named Haris Rauf as his pick, while Afridi named his son-in-law Shaheen Afridi as his pick. 

The next question asked to the panel was the name of the player who could play the match-defining moment. From India’s corner, the unanimous choice was Hardik Pandya. From the Pakistani side it was Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman. Sidhu then seemed to change his mind as he named Rishabh Pant as the player who could define the match. 

Esteemed panellists were then asked to name the ‘young players to watch out for' Yuvraj named Shubman Gill. For Sidhu, his choice was Varun Chakravarthy, who made his ODI debut recently against England. Shahid Afridi both named Saud Shakeel as their choice. Afridi was asked to name between Shaheem and Shami ‘who will have better impact with the new ball.' Inzamam said Shaeen, while Shahid Afridi said, “Both can use the new ball well so we will have to wait and see."

When asked which team has the upper hand going into the contest, Yuvraj said, “In Dubai conditions, Pakistan would have the upper hand." Sidhu said, “India is a much better balanced side." Both former Pakistan captains side that the team that holds the pressure on the given day will win the contest. 

Shahid Afridi went on to say, “We nearly had beaten India in the 2011 World Cup. After Pakistan lost it’s first wicket in the game and the way India’s body language changed, I was sitting in the dugout and sensed we won’t be able to chase down this total. It’s all about body language.”