ICC Champions Trophy 2017: India vs Pakistan - Match Prediction

Never before an India-Pakistan clash has been clouded by a hype greater than that of the match itself. Never before has the focus not been on the most anticipated clash of the year – now that there are ICC tournaments every year – than before this Champions Trophy.

All this for what? In Virat Kohli words, for spreading rumours that people make a livelihood off. Also in Kohli's words, we find the reassurance that there’s absolutely nothing there to be made an issue of and that the team is focussed on the Champions Trophy and nothing but.

Not in Kohli’s words, though, are the answers to the questions like why were the differences, if any, between the captain and the coach, to which he admitted, albeit slyly, not resolved before the beginning of such an important tournament.

All said and done, the focus, at least for the next 24 hours or so would be where it should rightfully be, and the clash, out of which more things are made out than any other issue, would be expected to live up to the expectations.

The last time the two sides met for a 50-over match was in the 2015 World Cup. It is a pity, really, that the last encounters are to be mentioned here and are not a matter of fact or written on the tip of the tongue.

For whatever it’s worth, the clash, involving at least a million people on either side must have its fair share of attention meted out to it. Doing the same, here’s Sportskeeda’s match prediction.

	India			Pakistan
	Win Probability (Based on overall ODI form and history)	72%		Win Probability (Based on overall ODI form and history)	28%
	When India Bats 1st			When Pakistan Bats 1st
	Win % batting first	67%		Win % batting first	42%
	Win % batting first & scoring more than 300	50%		Win % batting first & scoring more than 300	83%
	Avg. Team total batting first	286		Avg. Team total batting first	284
	Top batsman in 1st innings	Virat Kohli Inns-9, R-538, Avg-59.77, 100s-2, 50s-3		Top batsman in 1st innings	Babar Azam Inns-14, R-864, Avg-66.46, 100s-4, 50s-3
	When India Bats 2nd			When Pakistan Bats 2nd
	Win % batting second	47%		Win % batting second	44%
	Win % chasing more than 300	29%		Win % chasing more than 300	14%
	Avg. Team total batting second	286		Avg. Team total batting second	274
	Top batsman in 2nd innings	Virat Kohli Inns-12, R-680, Avg-68.00, 100s-3, 50s-3		Top batsman in 2nd innings	Shoaib Malik Inns-15, R-630, Avg-90.00, 100s-1, 50s-4
	When India Bowls 1st			When Pakistan Bowls 1st
	Win % bowling first	47%		Win % bowling first	44%
	Win % when restricting opposition to less than 300	63%		Win % when restricting opposition to 300 or less	64%
	Avg. Opposition score batting first	271		Avg. Opposition score batting first	291
	Top bowlers when team fields first	Jasprit Bumrah Inns-9, W-19, RPO-4.55 ... Umesh Yadav Inns-7, W-18, RPO-6.86		Top bowler when team fields first	Hasan Ali Inns-7, W-18, RPO-6.70 ... Mohammad Amir Inns-8, W-15, RPO-5.72
	When India Fields 2nd			When Pakistan Fields 2nd
	Win % fielding second	67%		Win % fielding second	42%
	Win % when restricting opposition to less than 280	88%		Win % when restricting opposition to less than 280	88%
	Avg. Opposition score batting second	272		Avg. Opposition score batting second	269
	Top bowlers when team fields second	Axar Patel Inns-8, W-13, RPO-4.48 ... Bhuvneshwar Kumar Inns-8, W-12, RPO-4.74		Top bowlers when team fields second	Imad Wasim Inns-12, W-14, RPO-4.81 ... Hasan Ali Inns-9, W-11, RPO-5.13
	Note: The data considers ODI performances since WC 2015

Based on these stats, taken from the matches that the two sides played post the ICC World Cup 2015, there is a 72% probability of India winning the game when the overall ODI form and the match results between the two sides are considered.