PITCH BATTLE

PRIDE AND HONOUR WILL BE AT STAKE WHEN KOHLI & CO TAKE ON SAFRAZ’S GREEN BRIGADE IN THE 'MOTHER OF ALL CLASHES'

INDIA HOLD a dominating 6-0 record in ICC World Cup, but Pakistan have an upper hand in the Champions Trophy. India and Pakistan have faced off in three Champions Trophy games till date, with the Men in Blue winning once and their rivals twice ONE OF the finest fast bowlers of current times, Mohammed Amir, would be pitted against the talismanic Virat Kohli in what could turn out to be a battle primarily between India’s vaunted batting line-up and against Pakistan’s potent bowling attack

A LINE-UP that boasts of Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni can be intimidating for any bowling attack BUT FACING Amir and an equally talented Junaid Khan in English conditions, despite Edgbaston showing signs of being a batting-friendly track, will be testing for the Indian batsmen WITH PAKISTAN’S top-order full of right-handers, Ravichandran Ashwin will have a tough fight making it into the team in place of Ravindra Jadeja

THE CURRENT cross-border tension between the South-Asian neighbours also adds its distinct colour to the rivalry in which India have come up trumps more often than not in global competitions

INDIA CAPTAIN Virat Kohli knows more than a thing or two about how to win matches against Pakistan, but the tournament as a whole would test his maturity

WHILE ROHIT SHARMA will be playing his first international match after more than six months, Shikhar Dhawan will look to relive his performance during the 2013 edition, when he won the ‘Man of the Tournament’ award YUVRAJ SINGH and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are a few years ahead in terms of quality and execution compared to the opposition veterans — Mohammed Hafeez and Sarfraz Khan