India are favourites to retain the Champions Trophy on Sunday but they would probably have preferred to face different opponents than arch-rivals Pakistan in what is sure to be a highly-charged final.
The neighbouring countries have moved on from years of political conflicts but emotions will run high as millions of supporters around the world watch the first major cricket final between the teams since the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup.
One of the most unpredictable sides in world sport, Pakistan were the lowest-ranked side going into the tournament and produced a shambolic performance in their heavy opening defeat by India. As they have done many times before, however, Pakistan suddenly found their form with wins over top-ranked South Africa and Sri Lanka before delivering an outstanding all-round display to stun previously unbeaten hosts England in the semi-finals.
One of the most unpredictable sides in world sport, Pakistan were the lowest-ranked side going into the tournament and produced a shambolic performance in their heavy opening defeat by India. As they have done many times before, however, Pakistan suddenly found their form with wins over top-ranked South Africa and Sri Lanka before delivering an outstanding all-round display to stun previously unbeaten hosts England in the semi-finals.
India suffered a shock loss to Sri Lanka in the group stage before overwhelming Bangladesh in the semis and their captain Virat Kohli has been impressed by Pakistan's resurgence. "The turnaround has been magnificent," Kohli said. "Obviously, if you reach the finals you have to play some good cricket and credit to them, they've turned around things for themselves really well. The belief just showed on the field the way they played together as a team and regardless of who you play in the finals, it's always going to be challenging because once you start thinking that it's a big game, then your mindset changes."
The live action of the match will be shown of the Star Sports network from 3pm while the live streaming of the match can be caught on Hotstar.com. You can also check out Cricketnext's Champions Trophy 2017 LIVE blog for all the latest action from the match including live scores, ball-by-ball commentary and analysis. The Hindi commentary will be available on Star Sports 3 and 4 while the English commentary will be available on Star Sports 1 and HD.
CONDITIONS: Another batting paradise is expected and will help the batsmen play their shots on the up. The weather is expected to be clear and there should be no rain-induced interruptions. But then, one never knows with the English weather and there could be a couple of rain interruptions.
TEAMS: India Squad (From): Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami
Pakistan Squad(From): Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed(c), Imad Wasim, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir, Haris Sohail, Fahim Ashraf, Ahmed Shehzad
