Atul Wassan ditches India, publicly supports Pakistan ahead of blockbuster Champions Trophy clash

Former cricketer Atul Wassan wants Pakistan to win against India in the highly anticipated Champions Trophy 2025 fixture to be played on February 23. It was a shocking statement from Atul Wassan which took everyone by surprise.

Wassan feels that the Champions Trophy will have no excitement if Pakistan lose as it will push them towards the path of elimination. Pakistan lost the first match to New Zealand and will be looking to win against India to put their campaign right on track.

Also read: Fear of Pakistan? India players arrive for practice 1 hour early before blockbuster CT 2025 clash

Atul Wassan wants "Pakistan to win" against India

While speaking to ANI before the India-Pakistan match, Atul Wassan expressed his desire to see Pakistan win against India in Dubai. He feels that the tournament will have no excitement if Pakistan lose as it will almost end their chances of making it to the semi-finals.

"I want Pakistan to win because it will be fun, tournament-wise. If you don't let Pakistan win, then what will you do? If Pakistan wins, then it becomes a contest. There should be an equal fight," Wassan said.

Pakistan can keep their chances alive in the Champions Trophy if they win against India. However, it will be a herculean task as the Men in Blue have been in fine form recently, especially after winning their opening game against Bangladesh.

If Pakistan lose the match, they will require Bangladesh and India to beat New Zealand in their respective games. They will be needed to beat Bangladesh too and hope their NRR is better than both Bangladesh and New Zealand.

"This team is best for Dubai" - Atul Wassan on Team India

While speaking further, Atul Wassan analyzed India's line-up and claimed that the Men in Blue have a batting line-up that bats deep till No. 8. He has faith in the Indian team and feels that the squad consisting of five spinners is well suited for the conditions in Dubai.

"You have a lot of good batters - Shubman (Gill), Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli). You are batting until number eight in Axar Patel. Rohit has picked five spinners, and this team is best for Dubai. Have faith in what you have and move ahead," he noted.

India have selected a strong squad for the Champions Trophy with the main focus on spin bowling. There are five spinners in the squad overall. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy are the specialist spinners while Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar are the spin bowling allrounders.

Batting is India's strength

The batting is India's strength in this tournament with plenty of batting depth in the Playing XI. The onus will be on the senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to lead from the front.

India's vice-captain Shubman Gill started the tournament in an emphatic fashion and struck a mature century. Gill struck 101 off 129 balls and remained unbeaten till the end.

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami is leading India's pace attack. Harshit Rana was the preferred fast bowler in the first game.