India captain Virat Kohli has won the toss and opted to bowl first in the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan.
The stage has been set for one of the biggest rivalries in cricket as India take on Pakistan at The Oval.
Although India are strong favourites to defend the Trophy, Pakistan have shown a vigorous fighting spirit to power through the tournament.
ALSO READ: India vs Pakistan: The preview
Not a cloud in the London sky, with pitch and weather conditions conducive for competitive cricket, setting up the perfect environment for an epic final.
India have fielded an unchanged team from their dominant nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the semi-final, and Kohli was confident with the decision to bowl first ahead of the match.
‘Nice and hard wicket,’ Kohli said after the toss.
‘There’s a fresh wicket, even grass covering and we’d like our bowlers to exploit it. Then we like chasing.
‘No matter the conditions, you have to play good cricket. One more effort to go. I’m sure the guys will give it their best shot.
‘If you make the finals, you’ve played really good cricket. We don’t take oppositions for granted and today is no different. No matter what they bring, we are believing in our abilities. Unchanged team.’
Pakistan have made one change from their eight-wicket thrashing of England, with Azhar Ali back in the side in place of Rumman Raees.
INDIA: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah
PAKISTAN: Fakhar Zaman, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Junaid Khan
Photo: Matthew Lewis-IDI/IDI via Getty Images
