Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that beating India will be a real task for Pakistan in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament is all set to begin on February 19 and will be co-hosted by Pakistan and the UAE. The most awaited clash of the tournament will be between India and Pakistan which will be played in Dubai on Sunday, February 23.

Ahead of the fixture, Pakistan PM has further ignited the rivalry between the two teams by giving his team the task of beating India in the mega clash. He also wished them good luck for the tournament and said that the entire nation stands behind them.

"We have a very good side and they have done well in recent times but the real task now is to not only win the Champions Trophy but also defeat our arch-rival, India in the upcoming match in Dubai. The entire nation stands behind them," Sharif was quoted as saying by PTI.

Furthermore, Sharif said it will be a big occasion for Pakistan to host an ICC event after 29 years as they last co-hosted the ODI World Cup 1996 along with India and Sri Lanka.

"It is a big occasion for Pakistan that we are hosting a big ICC event after nearly 29 years. I have full confidence that our team will continue to make the nation proud in the upcoming Champions Trophy,” he added.

Pakistan are the defending champions of the Champions Trophy, having won the last edition of the tournament by beating India in the final by a massive margin of 180 runs. Hence, the co-hosts will carry some good memories heading into the competition. They also have an upper hand over India in the history of the tournament, having beaten them thrice out of five times.

However, India have dominated Pakistan ever since their Champions Trophy win, having defeated them in five out of six ODIs played since then, with one game being washed out. Hence, both teams will come into the tournament carrying some good past records, which makes the upcoming clash even more exciting.

Source: India Today