Kohli’s Century, Bowlers’ Brilliance Secure India’s Victory Over Pakistan in Champions Trophy
Dubai, 23rd February 2025: Team India secured its second consecutive win in the Champions Trophy, defeating arch-rival Pakistan by six wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. A collective effort from Indian bowlers restricted Pakistan to 241 runs in 49.4 overs, before Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century guided India to victory in 42.3 overs.
This loss marks Pakistan’s second consecutive defeat in the tournament, making their semi-final qualification nearly impossible. They had earlier lost to New Zealand in their opening match.
Pakistan’s Struggle with the Bat
Winning the toss, Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan opted to bat first. However, their top-order struggled, with Hardik Pandya dismissing Babar Azam (23) early at a total score of 41. Imam-ul-Haq, replacing Fakhar Zaman, fell for just 10 runs, courtesy of a brilliant run-out by Axar Patel.
Saud Shakeel was the standout performer for Pakistan, scoring 62 off 76 balls, including five boundaries. He stitched a crucial 104-run partnership with Rizwan (46), but their slow scoring rate kept Pakistan from gaining momentum.
India’s bowlers dominated the latter half of the innings, with Kuldeep Yadav taking three wickets, while Pandya picked up two. Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Harshit Rana claimed one wicket each. Pakistan’s lower order collapsed quickly, with Salman Agha (19), Tayyab Tahir (4), and Shaheen Afridi (0) failing to contribute. Khushdil Shah (38) and Naseem Shah (14) tried to push the total past 240 before Rana dismissed Khushdil as the last wicket.
India’s Chase Led by Kohli’s Masterclass
Chasing 242, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave a promising start. Rohit (20 off 15 balls) hit three fours and a six before falling to Shaheen Afridi’s yorker. With this, Rohit became the fastest batsman to complete 9,000 runs as an opener in just 181 innings, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record (197 innings).
Gill looked set for a half-century but fell to Abrar Ahmed for 46 off 52 balls. Kohli then took charge, reaching his half-century while also crossing the 14,000-run mark in ODIs.
A crucial 114-run partnership between Kohli and Shreyas Iyer (56 off 67 balls) steadied India’s innings. After Iyer’s dismissal, Hardik Pandya contributed just eight runs.
Kohli’s 51st ODI Century
With India close to victory, Axar Patel ensured Kohli had enough deliveries to complete his century. Kohli reached his 51st ODI hundred in style, hitting a boundary on the third ball of the 43rd over. He remained unbeaten on 100 off 111 balls, with 11 fours, while Axar Patel finished with three runs.
India’s dominant performance solidifies their position in the tournament, while Pakistan faces an uphill battle to stay in contention.
