India, Feb. 20 -- Pakistan's Champions Trophy campaign began on a poor note as they suffered a 60-run defeat to New Zealand in the tournament opener at home. The loss, their third to the Kiwis in two weeks (the first two came in a tri-series) exposed glaring flaws in Pakistan's batting approach, raising serious concerns ahead of their high-stakes clash against India.

Chasing 321, Pakistan never looked in control, with their top-order crumbling under pressure. Babar Azam's 64 off 90 balls lacked intent, while captain Mohammad Rizwan (3 off 14) and Saud Shakeel (6 off 19) showed little urgency.

Fakhar Zaman, batting at No. 4 after missing most of Pakistan's fielding due to an injury scare, struggled to inject momentum, managing just 24 of...