Pakistan v India: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Pakistan’s second Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy is a must-win clash against tournament favourites India at the Dubai International Stadium.

A 60-run defeat to New Zealand in their opener has left the hosts on the brink and another loss would leave Mohammed Rizwan’s men dependent on a complex set of results.

India are under no such threat after cruising to a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Thursday.

Shubman Gill underlined his class with an unbeaten century while Mohammed Shami looked back to his best in taking 5-53.

Meanwhile, Pakistan will be forced into a change on Sunday due to the absence of Fakhar Zaman, who picked up an injury on just the second ball of the match against the Black Caps.

Pakistan v India betting tips and predictions

Mohammed Shami top match bowler - 9/2

Shami produced a brutish opening spell of bowling against Bangladesh, finding enough movement off the seam to take the ball away from the right-handers and bring it back into the left-handers.

He took a wicket in his opening over and followed up with another in his fourth thanks to a good slip catch from Gill.

The veteran paceman returned at the death to take his 200th ODI wicket with an off cutter that Jaker Ali spooned to long on before polishing off the Bangladesh tail with two more crafty deliveries.

Shami has often saved his best performances for the biggest stage and was virtually unplayable during the 2023 Cricket World Cup when he took a tournament-leading 24 wickets at little more than 10 runs apiece.

His price in the top match bowler market reflects the belief that spin will play a greater role in restricting batters in Dubai than pace as time passes in the tournament.

But Shami’s clever use of variations may be just as effective against a desperate Pakistan batting line-up that are among the better players of spin.

Shubman Gill over 33.5 runs - 5/6

Gill is currently in a golden period of form after knocks of 87, 60, 112 and 101 not out in his last four one-day internationals.

History tells us that even the best that have ever played the game cannot go on churning out big innings after big innings forever, but the right-hander is not someone to currently oppose.

His ODI batting average has risen from 59 to 62.51 over the past few weeks and, having enjoyed a good hit out at Dubai on Thursday, he should be acclimatised to the conditions ahead of this game.

He struck nine fours and two sixes in his unbeaten ton against Bangladesh, with the pull shot yielding more than a quarter of his total.

Gill has scored more than 34 runs in 16 of his last 26 innings for India in this format and during that time has faced much more threatening and experienced attacks than the one Pakistan possesses right now.

The 25-year-old is also a solid pick at 3/1 to be his team's top batter after outsourcing his teammates in three of India’s last four ODIs. 

But Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not in bad form themselves and may look to grab the limelight in this long-awaited clash of these subcontinental cricketing powers.

Most Run Outs (Fielding) - India - 9/4

Among the many advantages that India will have over Pakistan on Sunday is a familiarity with the dimensions of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The Men in Blue should better be able to make correct decisions when attempting to turn one run into two or sensing run out opportunities in the field.

India’s fielding standards are as high as they have ever been with so many athletic outfielders in the current side.

And the pressure that they create with bat and ball may force some injudicious running calls from the Pakistan batters, which they have been known for in the past.

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Pakistan v India odds

Pakistan - 11/5
India - 4/11

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.