'We’ve won 60% of the game' - Former Pakistan cricketer opens up on situation during Champions Trophy 2017 finals

Pakistan's former cricketer Mohammad Amir spoke about the emotions the team felt during the Champions Trophy 2017 when they beat India in the finals. For the arch-rivals, winning an ICC event against each other is a huge deal, and India were the defending champions at that time. Pakistan outplayed them in the finals and snatched away the trophy. Amir revealed that the moment he got Virat Kohli out, he knew India wouldn't win the game. 

"Honestly, that pitch wasn’t swinging much. Even in the morning, there wasn’t a lot of movement. But I had this feeling that something special was going to happen. When I got Rohit out first, the energy just kept building. The moment Kohli got out, I thought, ‘We’ve won 60% of the game.’ It was a surreal feeling," said Mohammad Amir as quoted by Cricketpakistan. 

Kohli was in solid form at that time, especially in the ICC events; losing him early meant India's possibility of winning the game deteriorated. The upcoming tournament will be quite difficult as senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aren't in their best form. However, the dependence on the young players will increase throughout the tournament, which might not be a good thing. 

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India vs Pakistan game scheduled on February 23, 2025

The Champions Trophy 2025 is returning after eight years, and the most eventful game will be between India and Pakistan on February 23, 2025. The game will be held at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, because of travel restrictions put in place by the Indian government for going to Pakistan. Hence, India will play all of their games in Dubai. The venues of the knockout games will also decided based on India's qualification scenario. 

India will play their first game against Bangladesh on February 20. Every game is almost like a knockout game because only four teams will clash in each group. Hence, all the teams will have to play the tournament quite carefully. 

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