Champions Trophy: Kohli’s Century Secures India’s Six-Wicket Win Over Pakistan

India registered a commanding six-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy group stage match in Dubai on Sunday, with Virat Kohli once again showcasing his mastery in chases. His brilliant century not only ensured India’s triumph but also left Pakistan on the brink of elimination.

Chasing a target of 242, India got off to a brisk start, with Rohit Sharma taking on Naseem Shah early on. However, his fiery knock of 20 off 15 balls came to an abrupt end when Shaheen Afridi castled him with a perfect inswinging yorker. Despite the early breakthrough, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli steadied the innings, blending caution with calculated aggression. Gill played the aggressor, while Kohli anchored the chase.

Pakistan introduced Haris Rauf in search of a breakthrough, and he almost delivered in his first over when Gill mistimed a pull shot to Khushdil Shah, who failed to grasp the opportunity. Gill and Kohli built a solid 69-run partnership before mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed got the much-needed breakthrough for Pakistan. A well-disguised carrom ball from Abrar turned sharply, leaving Gill flummoxed and sending him back for a well-compiled 46 off 52 balls.

With the foundation laid, Shreyas Iyer joined Kohli and further consolidated India’s chase. While Kohli remained composed, Iyer used reverse sweeps effectively to counter Pakistan’s spinners. Kohli reached his 74th ODI fifty with a stylish boundary, and despite multiple bowling changes, Pakistan struggled to dismantle the growing partnership.

Shreyas displayed his aggressive intent in the 31st over, stepping down the track to launch a towering six over deep mid-wicket. He soon reached his half-century in the 37th over but departed in the 39th when Imam-ul-Haq held on to an excellent catch off Khushdil Shah. Iyer’s 56 off 67 balls proved crucial in keeping India on track.

Hardik Pandya came in with the intent to finish the game quickly but managed just 8 off 6 balls before edging a pull shot to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan off Shaheen Afridi. Despite the minor setback, Kohli marched on towards his record-extending 51st ODI century. He reached the milestone in style with a signature cover drive, sealing India’s victory with more than seven overs to spare. His innings also saw him surpass 14,000 ODI runs, further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest chasers in the game.

Earlier in the match, Pakistan started steadily with openers Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam adding 41 runs before Hardik Pandya broke the stand. Imam fell shortly after for 10, run out by Axar Patel, reducing Pakistan to 47/2. Babar looked promising with a fluent 23 off 26 balls, hitting five boundaries, but his dismissal left Pakistan in a vulnerable position.

Saud Shakeel and skipper Mohammad Rizwan then took charge, forging a crucial 104-run partnership that helped Pakistan recover. Shakeel brought up his fifty off 63 balls, while Rizwan played a cautious 46-run knock off 77 balls before Axar Patel bowled him in the 33rd over. Shakeel followed soon after, falling to Pandya for 62, and Pakistan found themselves at 159/4.

Tayyab Tahir had a forgettable outing, getting bowled by Ravindra Jadeja for just 4, further denting Pakistan’s innings at 165/5. The lower order struggled to accelerate, despite Salman Agha’s 19 and Naseem Shah’s 14. Pakistan managed to reach 200 in the 42nd over but kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Khushdil Shah played a fighting knock of 38 off 39 balls, but he was the last man to fall as Pakistan was bowled out for 241 in 49.4 overs. Except for Mohammed Shami, all Indian bowlers contributed with wickets. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3/40 in his nine-over spell, and also reached the milestone of 300 international wickets. Hardik Pandya finished with 2/31, completing 200 international wickets in the process.

Match Scorecard: India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy Feb 23, 2025

“Hamstring is okay….”: Indian skipper Rohit after win over Pakistan in CT 2025

Following his side’s ICC Champions Trophy match win against arch-rivals Pakistan, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that his hamstring is doing okay at the moment amid concerns of him having sustained an injury.

Following the match, the Indian captain said, “Hamstring is okay at the moment.”
Speaking about Virat’s century, Rohit said, “Virat loves representing the country, doing what he does the best, which is what he did today. People sitting inside the dressing room are not surprised with what he did.”

Rohit also lauded his team’s performance with the ball and said that despite knowing that the wicket could get slow while batting, the experienced batting line-up did well to chase down the 242-run total.

“Credit goes to Kuldeep (Yadav), Axar (Patel), (Ravindra) Jadeja all who has played a lot. Rizwan and Saud stitched a good stand, was important not to let the game drift. Not to forget how (Mohammed) Shami, Hardik (Pandya), Harshit (Rana) bowled as well. It was a good performance from the entire unit. Boys understand what kind of job is required out of them. It is tricky at times because not all will get a bowl. I try to figure out who is creating the most problems for the batters and make decisions,” he concluded.

“Made lot of mistakes”: Pakistan captain Rizwan delivers brutal assessment after bashing against India

Captain Mohammad Rizwan conceded that Pakistan made many mistakes in a six-wicket defeat against their arch-rival India in the high-stakes Champions Trophy clash on Sunday in Dubai.

After falling short against their bitter rival, Rizwan didn’t mince his words while summing up Pakistan’s performance against India.

“We won the toss, but we didn’t get the benefit of the toss. Their (India) bowlers bowled very well. And Saud Shakeel, I wanted to take it deep. Poor shot selection. They put us under pressure. Whenever you lose, you don’t perform in all departments,” Rizwan said in the post-match presentation.

“We wanted to squeeze, but we couldn’t. Kohli and Gill batted very well and took the game away. We need to improve our fielding. We made a lot of mistakes in this match,” Rizwan concluded.