Champions Trophy Showdown: India Outplays Pakistan as Kohli Hits 51st ODI Century
India’s Dominance Continues: Kohli’s Heroics Knock Pakistan to the Brink of Elimination
In the second match of the 2025 Champions Trophy, India defeated Pakistan by 6 wickets, avenging their 2017 final loss. Pakistan set a target of 241 runs in Dubai, which India chased down comfortably in 42.3 overs, losing just four wickets.
Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock, scoring an unbeaten 100, while Shreyas Iyer contributed 56 runs and Shubman Gill added 46. On the bowling front, Kuldeep Yadav took 3 wickets, and Hardik Pandya claimed 2. For Pakistan, Saeed Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46) were the top scorers, while Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up 2 wickets.
Kohli’s Record-Breaking Feats
- Became India’s highest ODI catcher with 158 catches.
- Reached 14,000 ODI runs, the fastest in history to achieve the milestone.
- Surpassed Ricky Ponting (27,483 runs) to become the third-highest run-scorer in international cricket.
Kohli’s Third Century Against Pakistan in Major Tournaments
This was Kohli’s 51st ODI century and 82nd overall in international cricket. He has now scored centuries against Pakistan in three major tournaments—the Champions Trophy, ODI World Cup, and Asia Cup.
India’s Two Key Match-Winners
Virat Kohli: Played a composed 100-run knock off 111 balls, expertly guiding India’s chase after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal.
Kuldeep Yadav: Delivered a game-changing spell, taking 3 wickets at crucial moments, restricting Pakistan’s scoring in the final overs.
Why Pakistan Lost?
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Slow Middle-Order Batting: After losing early wickets, Pakistan’s batters played too cautiously. Rizwan and Shakeel’s 104-run stand off 144 balls slowed their momentum, preventing a bigger total.
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Lack of Spin Options: Pakistan played only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed, who lacked support. The absence of Shadab Khan weakened their bowling attack.
Playing XI
India (IND): Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Harshit Rana.
Pakistan (PAK): Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Imam-ul-Haq, Saeed Shakeel, Babar Azam, Agha Salman, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
