An old photo taken during a Pakistan vs India match in New Delhi. PHOTO : BCCI
What was expected to be the marquee battle of the eight-nation tournament - tickets for the match were sold out within hours of going on sale last November - has been reduced to a dead rubber.
World Cup champions India are already through to the semi-finals after winning both group B matches so far, while Pakistan have crashed out of the race with two successive defeats.
But sporting contests between the arch-rivals are never irrelevant for players and millions of fans across the globe as heroes turn villains - or vice-versa - depending on the result.
As India look to smoothen rough edges ahead of the semi-finals, Pakistan will play for pride hoping to build on the 2-1 series success in India in December-January.
"I don't think the Indian team has ever played a dead game," skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, referring to the huge fan following his side enjoys. "The match is also important to improve in the areas we want to."
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore added: "It's an important match. It's certainly not a dead game for us and we will look to give our best."
Pakistan were let down by poor batting, having been bowled out for 170 by the West Indies and then dismissed for 167 by a depleted South African attack missing frontline strike bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.
Skipper Misbahul Haq and Nasir Jamshed were the only batsmen to offer resistance in the two games, which put the hard-working bowlers under additional pressure.
Misbah, who top-scored with an unbeaten 96 and 55 in both matches, conceded the batting failure cost his side dearly.
"There are a lot of positives to take from this tournament," he said. "We bowled and fielded very well, but the batting has not been good. The batsmen are much better than what they have done here."
Misbah, whose side was taunted by fans after the loss to South Africa, insisted the team were still very motivated to perform well against India.
"When a team plays the way we have, criticism is bound to come," he said. "Supporters are like that. They also praise you when you do well.
"We must now play to our potential against India. We should not go back empty-handed."
India, meanwhile, justified their number one ranking in one-day cricket with two impressive performances against South Africa and the West Indies.
They piled up 331-7 against the Proteas to win by 26 runs on a flat Cardiff pitch, and then restricted the West Indies to 233-9 at the Oval to win by eight wickets.
Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan shone with superb back-to-back centuries, making 114 off 94 balls against South Africa and an unbeaten 102 against the West Indies.
It was the third successive international century for the moustache-twirling 27-year-old from Delhi, who scored a spectacular 187 off 174 balls against Australia on his Test debut in March.
India have also been well-served by Rohit Sharma, who partnered Dhawan for two century stands at the top of the order, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, whose five wickets laid low the West Indies.
COMMENTS (26)
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One sided game!! Indian team is full of performers, majority of our players are drained. It would be a huge upset if Pakistan wins!!
What an unbelievable scenario which has happened for the first time that both Indians and Pakistanis are wishing their respective teams to lose a cricket match played between the two countries ?/?
@archana: hi archana, i love you
if Pakistan won the sifarshis will have their patrons keep them in the team for another year or two to perform in one out of twenty matches
Its about time we realize that our cricket team performance under the present setup with the players we have is pathetic and has been so for the last 2 years or so.We did not even reach the semifinals of the recent Champions trophy, our players, the board members, selectors even the media have hyped up this unimportant match just to hide there embarrassing recent performances, I am sure cricketers like Kamran, Shoib,Imran farhat , etc will try there best to do something in this useless match against India so they can stay in the team and keep on making us loose matches in future and block the entry of young players and ruin there chance to develop, I hope India gives us good hiding today so we can see this group of useless players out..for good
All the matches are fixed. Cricket is a business not a sport.
There's a big catch in Pakistan winning against hindustan. If Pakistan won the godfathers of the proven good for nothing characters like imran farhat, hafeez, asad shafiq, akmal brothers, shoaib malik etc would have the chance to keep all this trash in the team for many more matches where they will again not perform so better that Pakistan lose this one also besides PCB has had us lose to hindustan from world cup to many occasions to appease hindustanis so why not for a good reason we pray they lose and we get to see trash out of the team
@Rizwan Nasar: Take it easy dude.. That was only a joke.. :)
have no importance for this match or india
Why do we ppl act as if this is the most monumental thing in the world. Common guys..its just a cricket match. There are other things to dwell on..
@Zaid Hamid; And we have also signed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.. :)
So indians want pak. to win for their team don't get relaxed in the semis. Honestly I don't want pak. to win because I don't want any excuse for some current pak. players to further give us more torture and want them to permanently disappear from the scene with exemplary insult.
looking at the current plight of our team, I'm afraid that its gonna be another drubbing in waiting. Hope not!
To all Indians, We are not Iraq, we are not Afghanistan, we are Pakistan. We are a Nuclear powered team.
An India VS Pakistan match is always exciting. Both teams go into this overdrive so call it anything but "a dead game". Like always we will get to see the most exciting game of the tournament although it may not mean anything to the rest of the world but over a billion people will be glued to their TV screens for the biggest "rivalry" of the tournament.
Abdul Quddus DET-United States Central Command
@A-No.1:
India can only rest four from the playing side... And it will not be India's B team. Let me explain how it will not be "Team B" for India. Only 15 cricketers from each country are participating in the Championship and only 11 players get to play for a side. So if India wants to rests four players from the side that played last... It will still not be Team B. GET YOUR CRICKET RIGHT!
To breathe life into something you need to be alive yourself first and the Pakistan team are currently the zombies of world cricket. They're the walking dead with cricket bats.
India should lose game so that the players do get into "we are invincible" mood. This will ensure that India wins the CT.
@Enlightened:
IF history is anything to go by then there would be no new things in the world. We should never play pak in CT as in history (which is just two games) we didnt win.
Remember we are the world champions for a reason, Though Pak has a weaker team but anything can happen in the game of cricket. My money is on the stronger horse which is India.
It should be a good contest.
Best of luck to both teams
A match between India and Pakistan can never be a dead game. it will be fiery.
India will win CT just to restore credibility of tainted IPl
@Enlghtened
Agreed 100%. I also want Pakistan to win. It will help our boys not to be over confident in the later stage.
It is not a dead game but a war which is going to be fought between the two countries in UK. Despite being an Indian, I feel and even wish that Pakistan should win this game. There are two good reasons for coming to this conclusion. Firstly, Pakistan has always won against India in Champion Trophy in all previous schedules and history would repeat itself this time too. Secondly, there has been too much euphoria in media and the team after two easy wins and win against Pakistan would make the Indian team feel as if they have already lifted the trophy. A loss against Pakistan would jolt the Indian team to come up with a determined performance in the next two matches to lift the trophy.
The only department of Team India which looks weak, is their fast bowling, but they are managing this shortcoming from decade now. The only chance green shirts have is, if Nasir and Hafeez go after their quicks and make 260-270 which will give us a huge chance given our outstanding bowling resources.
India will rest key players and send in its B team. Guess what. Pakistan will be trashed by B team. Time for a lot of deadwood to retire.