8th ranked Pakistan beating India in 2017 CT final still gives me goosebumps, reminisces Hasan Ali

Pakistan winning against India in the final of Champions Trophy was one of the biggest upsets of the decade gone by. India were not only higher ranked and had a straight forward progress to the finals but they had a star studded line-up with the likes of Kohli, Rohit, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Hardik, Bumrah, Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the XI. They were favorites to win the ICC title under Virat Kohli but it was not the case as Fakhar Zaman and Mohammed Amir performed exceptionally well and it turned out to be a one-sided game and an easy win for the Men in Green.

“There were a lot of players who made their debuts – Rumman Raees, Faheem Ashraf and Fakhar Zaman, and there were a few players whose careers had just started – like me and Shadab Khan. So, it was a young team, and a new captain was handling it: Sarfraz bhai.”

“Imagine, An eighth-ranked team went to a mega event and defeats the teams ranked in the top three and then beats India in the final. So, it was just by the grace of God and the way Sarfraz bhai captained the side and every single player performed, I cannot tell it in words,” Ali added.

“No doubt India were stronger on paper, and their performance was also going good, but when a team has the momentum, they can defeat any team in front of them. So everyone had the hunger to perform.”