Dubai: Hardik Pandya provided India with a crucial breakthrough in the ongoing India-Pakistan clash in the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday by dismissing Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam. The Indian all-rounder celebrated the wicket in style, waving his hands in a dramatic "goodbye" gesture as Azam walked off the field.

Pandya's timely wicket came after a sensational piece of fielding from Axar Patel, whose direct hit found Imam-ul-Haq short of his crease. It was a reckless run from Imam, who tested Axar’s arm and was sent back to the pavilion. With both Pakistan openers back in the hut before the end of the first powerplay, the pressure mounted on the Pakistani side.

At the end of 13 overs, Pakistan had managed to reach just 59 for 2, with the Indian bowlers on top. The breakthrough provided India with a much-needed momentum shift, and they now look to capitalize on the early breakthroughs. Meanwhile, in a sigh of relief for India, Mohammed Shami has returned to the field after an earlier injury scare.

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Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first.

The last time India and Pakistan clashed in a Champions Trophy event was during the 2017 edition's final, when Virat Kohli-led star-studded unit was humbled by Men in Green at the peak of star batters' run-chasing powers, being skittled out for 158 runs while chasing a mammoth 338 runs which Pakistan reached on the back of a century from Fakhar Zaman.

Avenging this would be fresh on the minds of players who were part of this heart-wrenching defeat, and their fans would no doubt relish every moment of India dominating Pakistan with bat or ball.

Teams:India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav

Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.