Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century propelled India to a six-wicket victory over rival Pakistan in their Group A encounter at the Champions Trophy, putting the hosts at risk of an early exit from the tournament.
Kohli achieved the milestone of 14,000 runs in ODIs while scoring his record-extending 51st hundred as India reached 244-4 in 42.3 overs in Dubai on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer contributed with 56 runs off 67 balls, forming a crucial partnership of 114 runs with Kohli for the third wicket.
In the first innings, Kuldeep Yadav took 3-40 as Pakistan was dismissed for 241 in 49.4 overs after choosing to bat first.
Saud Shakeel top-scored with 62 runs off 76 balls and shared a 104-run partnership with captain Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 46 runs.
Kohli, named player of the match, reached his milestone in 111 deliveries.
“It feels satisfying to bat in such a manner, especially in an important game where a spot in the semis was up for grabs,” Kohli said after the match.
“I had to control my innings during the middle overs, being cautious against the spinners and aggressive against the pacers. I was pleased with my approach. It’s how I like to play in ODIs.
“I have developed a good understanding of my game over the years. It’s about ignoring external distractions and staying focused on my game. I try to maintain my energy levels and thoughts. It’s easy for me to get caught up in the excitement of games like this.”
The match took place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, even though Pakistan is the host of the tournament and India is playing their matches in the UAE.
Pakistan now faces a difficult task to progress in the tournament, needing a series of unlikely results in the remaining group-stage matches.
“We won the toss, but we didn’t capitalize on it,” said Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan. “Their bowlers performed exceptionally well. Saud Shakeel and I tried to take the innings deep.
“However, we made poor shot selections and were put under pressure. When you lose, it means you didn’t perform well in all departments. We wanted to restrict them, but we couldn’t manage to do so.
“We need to improve our fielding, as there were many mistakes in this match.”
