IND vs PAK ICC Champions Trophy 2025: The much-awaited match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan during the ongoing mega-event had created new television viewership records and has thus stamped its authority as one of the best rivals of this sport. The high-octane clash was held on February 23 in Dubai and was viewed by 20.6 crore viewers on TV and thus became the second most-watched match in the history of BARC, except the World Cup game.
The latest game of the historic rivalry surpassed the 2023 ODI World Cup match between these two teams. The television rating of this year's match was 11 percent higher than the 2023 ODI World Cup held in Ahmedabad, as per JioHotstar.
During the game, India's star batter Virat Kohli became the fastest player to have scored 14000 runs in this format and thus registered 2,609 crore minutes of total TV time. Virat Kohli grabbed all the attention during the high-octane clash as he brought up his 51st century in the 50-over format. He led the team from the front and helped them chase down the target of 242 runs in 43.2 overs.
The Rohit Sharma-led side defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by six wickets and thus maintained their dominance in this rivalry.
Now the Men in Blue are preparing for the summit clash, where they will face New Zealand, whereas Pakistan was eliminated and was winless throughout the mega-event.
"JioStar is scaling new heights as far as India's experience of marquee sporting events is concerned. Combining the power of deep consumer focus, immersive storytelling, universalized access, and incisive marketing, Star Sports has galvanized interest in this age-old rivalry. We remain committed to serving fans, deepening fandom, and recruiting new cohorts," a JioHotstar spokesperson said.
India will lock horns with New Zealand during the summit clash in Dubai. Both teams will face each other in an ICC final after 25 years. The last time they played against each other was during the 2000 Knockout summit clash in Nairobi, where Chris Cairns smashed a century and helped the Black Caps lift their first ICC trophy.
The Rohit Sharma-led side will continue their winning streak against New Zealand from their last group stage match where star spinner Varun Chakravarthy took a five-for.