Hardik Pandya continued his brilliant record against Pakistan during India's blockbuster 2025 Champions Trophy clash against their arch-rivals at the Dubai International Stadium after making a huge impact with the ball in the batting powerplay.

Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and decided to bat first with Babar Azam once again opening the bat with new opening partners as Imam-Ul-Haq replaced Fakhar Zaman in the line-up. Babar and Imam put up a solid 41-run stand before Hardik broke the stand.

Babar made a positive start but once again failed to make a mark on the biggest stage after edging a delivery from Babar into wicketkeeper KL Rahul's hands. The ex-Pakistan skipper departed after making 23 runs in 26 balls in the 9th over of the match.

Hardik brought a unique celebration after dismissing Hardik, which quickly went viral all over social media.

Pakistan lost two wickets in consecutive overs as Imam-Ul-Haq was run out after making a 26-ball 10 in the 9th over following a brilliant direct hit by Axar Patel.

The match is a must-win for Pakistan, as a defeat here will mean their destiny is out of their hands. The hosts lost their opening game against New Zealand by 60 runs in Karachi and face the risk of returning to Pakistan to only play a dead rubber against Bangladesh on Thursday (February 27).

Meanwhile, India started the tournament with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh after completing a tricky run chase with 21 balls to spare. Shubman Gill was the star of the show with an unbeaten century.

If Pakistan lose tonight and New Zealand beats Bangladesh tomorrow, Pakistan will have no chance of reaching the semi-final. In fact, if this happens, both India and New Zealand will seal their place in the knockout stages ahead of their clash against each other on March 2 in Dubai.

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