New Delhi: Virat Kohli notched up his 51st ODI century in style as India thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan by six wickets in the marquee clash in Dubai to all but confirm their spot in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025. Kohli notched up his ton and scored the winning runs for India with a boundary as India chased down the target of 242 runs comfortably to bag their second win in a row in the tournament.
It was a magnificent knock from Kohli, who headed into the high-voltage encounter under pressure after enduring a rough patch of late. But as has been the case on several occasions in the past, the Team India star once again brought out his best against Pakistan. Kohli slammed an unbeaten 100 off 111 balls to help India nail the target with 45 balls to spare.
In pursuit of the 242-run target, India lost skipper Rohit Sharma cheaply on 20 off 15 balls but Shubman Gill ensured the Men in Blue didn’t lose the momentum as he took the Pakistan bowlers to the cleaners en route to his cracking 46 off 52 balls. Gill looked in exceptional touch and played some fabulous shots against the Pakistani pacers.
He combined with Kohli to steady the ship for India after Rohit’s departure as the duo added 69 runs for the second wicket. Gill missed out on a well-deserved half-century after he was undone by an excellent delivery from spinner Abrar Ahmed, who cleaned him up with a ripper in the 18th over. However, Kohli remained unfazed on the other hand as he joined hand with Iyer to take India closer to victory.
𝗞𝗢𝗛𝗟𝗜 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗬𝗟𝗘! 💯@imVkohli takes #TeamIndia over the line, bringing his first-ever hundred in the #ChampionsTrophy, his 51st in ODIs, and 82nd across formats. 🙌
Take a bow, KING! 👑#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar 👉 #INDvPAK | LIVE NOW on Star… pic.twitter.com/pzUmDiAtyp
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 23, 2025
Kohli, Iyer star in clinical chase for India
Kohli and Iyer starred with the bat in what was a clinical run chase from India to continue their winning run in the Champions Trophy 2025. The duo shared a match-winning partnership of 114 runs for the third wicket, shattering any hopes of a Pakistan comeback. While Kohli went on to complete his hundred off the last ball of the match, Iyer finished with a brilliant 56 off 67 balls.
Iyer was the aggressor in the partnership and perfectly complemented Kohli from the other end. His 56 off 67 deliveries was laced with 5 fours and a six as he continued his fine form for India in ODIs. After Iyer’s dismissal, India lost Hardik Pandya cheaply on 8 but a win was a mere formality by the time with the Men in Blue requiring only 19 runs at the time of the all-rounder’s dismissal.
Kohli kept rotating the strike well and took his chances and just when it looked like the century might not turn into a reality, he managed to reach the three-figure mark with the help of Axar Patel, who remained unbeaten on 3 off 4 balls as India finished the chase with six wickets and 45 deliveries to spare.
Kohli becomes fastest to 14,000 runs in ODIs
Kohli completed another milestone en route to his 51st ODI ton as he became the quickest to 14,000 runs in ODIs. Kohli broke the record held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar by completing 14,000 runs in just 287 innings. The Master Blaster took 350 innings to reach the feat while Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara, the only other batter with over 14,000 runs in ODIs, reached the milestone in 378 innings.
Kohli became only the third batter in ODI history to go past 14,000 runs and the second Indian to achieve the feat after Tendulkar. He is the leading run-getter in ODIs among the active batters in the world.
Indian bowlers dominate Pakistan
Earlier, the Indian bowlers dominated proceedings against Pakistan after Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bat first in the marquee clash. Pakistan did get off to a solid start courtesy of openers Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq, who added 41 runs for the first wicket. However, they lost both openers in quick succession as India bounced back in the contest.
Hardik Pandya drew the first blood for India by dismissing a well-set Babar on 23 before a stunning throw from Axar Patel caught Imam short of the crease in the next over, reducing Pakistan to 47/2. Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan (42) combined with Saud Shakeel (62) to stage a fightback as the duo added a 104-run stand for the 3rd wicket.
Jaha matter bade hote hai, waha @hardikpandya7 khade hote hai! 😎
Two big wickets in two overs & #TeamIndia are in the driver’s seat! 🇮🇳💪#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar 👉 #INDvPAK | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 2 & Sports 18-1!
📺📱 Start Watching… pic.twitter.com/Neap2t4fWC
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 23, 2025
However, Rizwan’s dismissal in the 34th over triggered a mini-collapse as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals to get bundled out for 241. Hardik impressed with the ball for India with excellent figures of 2/31 off his 8 overs while the spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel also did well with 5 wickets between them.
Senior pacer Mohammed Shami had an off day after suffering a rare injury scare during the game but the others stepped up to ensure Pakistan failed to post a big total on the board. India are now all but into the semi-finals while Pakistan are on the brink of early elimination from the Champions Trophy 2025 after their second straight defeat in the tournament.
Virat Kohli slammed an unbeaten hundred as India hammered Pakistan by 6 wickets in the Champions Trophy 2025 group-stage to all but confirm a spot in the semi-finals. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
