Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam reached a huge personal milestone with his 23-run knock against India in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025.
The high-octane clash between India and Pakistan in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 saw both sides lock horns at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23. The game began with Pakistan coming in to bat first after winning the toss.
The Men in Green opened their innings with Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq coming out to bat. Both batters hoped to propel Pakistan to a good start to the clash. However, it was Babar Azam who captured the limelight with his performance.
The star batter scored 23 runs in 26 deliveries before he fell prey to Hardik Pandya. However, despite his short-lived innings, Babar Azam managed to achieve a huge personal milestone. Through his 23-run knock, Babar completed 1000 runs in ICC ODI events, which include the Champions Trophy and the ODI World Cup. It is worth noting that the 30-year-old achieved the feat in his 24th innings in ICC ODI events and has now amassed 1014 runs to his name in the tournaments.
Achieving his personal milestone, Babar’s knock failed to help Pakistan. The star batter departed for just 23 runs, which provided the Indian team with just the start that they needed. Furthermore, Pakistan went on to lose their second wicket shortly after Babar’s dismissal as well. Axar Patel’s excellence in the field and a direct run-out saw Imam-ul-Haq walk back to the pavilion as well.
After two early wickets, the Men in Blue will hope to limit their arch-rivals to a subpar total in the first innings, which would make for a comfortable run chase for the Rohit Sharma-led side. It is interesting to note Pakistan kicked off their Champions Trophy campaign with a loss against New Zealand. If the side goes on to lose their clash against India, it would be almost impossible for the Men in Green to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
