Aakash Chopra selected four key players to watch in the 2025 Champions Trophy clash between India and Pakistan. He highlighted Shreyas Iyer for his consistent performances and named Shubman Gill and Shreyas as Indian batters to watch. Shreyas scored 15 runs off 17 balls in India’s win over Bangladesh on February 20. In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer as the Indian batters to watch.
“Shubman Gill is in incredible form right now, and you want him to keep it going. He’s been in fantastic touch, with two consecutive centuries, and has a solid understanding of ODI cricket. It’s clear now that the young talent not only has a place in the squad but has earned a promotion,” Chopra commented (13:50).
“Another player who often goes unnoticed is Shreyas Iyer. He’s been consistently performing well. Though he was dismissed early in the last match, if the pitch slows down and the ball starts gripping a bit, along with some part-time spin, I’ll be closely watching Shreyas. He’s very effective in these conditions,” Chopra added.
“As always, my clutch player is Hardik Pandya. His cutters are going to be crucial on this pitch. He’s essentially your third fast bowler, and you’ll want to focus on fast bowling against Pakistan. In terms of batting, I believe we won’t win the match if we lose three wickets early. Hardik will be key, whether we bat first or second,” he explained.
He ignored Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. His fourth pick was Mohammed Shami.
For Pakistan, Aakash Chopra gave his vote to Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed. “I wouldn’t dismiss Babar Azam just yet. There’s been a lot of criticism around him for not scoring a hundred in 65 innings, but let’s not forget, he’s the fastest to 6000 ODI runs for a reason. His average remains strong, and he still poses a major threat,” Chopra said (15:30).
“Another big threat from Pakistan is Mohammad Rizwan. I rate him highly. He has a game suited to slower wickets, and he’s a fighter who takes the attack to the opposition. Rizwan will definitely be someone I’ll be watching closely,” he noted.