Haris Rauf stirs up past rivalry with India ahead of Champions Trophy clash: 'Pakistan motivated to repeat history'

Pakistan is gearing up to face their arch-rival India in a crucial Group A match of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Led by Mohammad Rizwan, the team knows that a victory in this match is vital to keep their hopes alive for a spot in the semi-finals, especially after suffering a defeat against New Zealand in their opening match in Karachi. With everything on the line, Pakistan will need to bring their A-game to the field and give it their all against a formidable opponent like India.

Ahead of the marquee clash, Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf reminded India of how his team defeated the arch-rivals in the 2021 T20 World Cup, held in Dubai. He also alluded to how Pakistan beat India in Dubai in the 2022 Asia Cup, which was also held in the UAE.

However, Haris Rauf was also quick to point out that the match will ultimately depend on how the teams perform under pressure.

“No doubt, it will boost our confidence. We have beaten India here in back-to-back years. We will try and repeat the good things from those games and try and beat India. I hope it's a good match,” Haris Rauf told reporters.

“No doubt, the record is good. But it depends on the pitches. It might be a spin track. We will look at the conditions and try and use them well,” he added.

Pakistan under pressure after New Zealand loss

Pakistan lost their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand by 60 runs, and now the side needs to win against India to keep their fate in their own hands.

However, Haris Rauf believes that the 2017 champions are not taking undue pressure on themselves. He also said that his side are looking at the game against India as just another match.

"Everybody is doing well in the camp. We are focused on doing well. We will try to give our best and ensure we win the match. There is no pressure. We are very relaxed. We are all positive, we will approach the game like any other," said Haris Rauf.

For the uninitiated, Pakistan held their first training session in Dubai on Friday evening. The entire team landed in Dubai on Thursday.

Opening batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the entire tournament and Imam-ul-Haq has been named as his replacement.

"The New Zealand match is gone. We are focused on the India game. We want to make sure that we don't repeat the mistakes from that match here. This is a very important match for us. We want to win it to make sure we qualify for the semi-final," said Rauf.

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