IND vs PAK / Pakistan surrenders before Kohli's reign, India defeats Pakistan by 6 wickets

IND vs PAK: Team India’s remarkable journey in the Champions Trophy 2025 continues as they defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 6 wickets in their second match, almost securing a spot in the semifinals. Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, India chased down the 242-run target effortlessly. The star of the victory was Virat Kohli, who smashed a brilliant century, sending a strong message to other teams. Meanwhile, hosts Pakistan are on the verge of an early exit from the tournament.

The much-anticipated blockbuster clash took place in Dubai on Sunday, February 23. However, the game did not turn out to be as thrilling as expected. But Indian fans were treated to two major moments—India’s dominant victory and Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century (100* off 111 balls, 7 fours) while chasing. Coming to the crease after Rohit Sharma’s early dismissal, Kohli built strong partnerships with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. He sealed the win with a boundary, completing his 51st ODI century.

Match Summary

India’s Batting:

• Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 100, while Shreyas Iyer scored 56, and Shubman Gill contributed 46.

Bowling Performance:

• Kuldeep Yadav took 3 wickets, and Hardik Pandya grabbed 2 wickets.

Pakistan’s Batting:

• Saud Shakeel scored 62, while Mohammad Rizwan added 46 runs.

Bowling Performance:

• Shaheen Afridi claimed 2 wickets, while Abrar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah took 1 wicket each.

Heroes of India’s Victory

Virat Kohli: Played a match-winning knock of 100* off 111 balls, controlling the middle overs and accelerating against the pacers.

Kuldeep Yadav: Took 3 crucial wickets, restricting Pakistan from posting a big total in the death overs.

Reasons for Pakistan’s Defeat

Slow Batting: After losing early wickets, Pakistan’s middle-order played at a slow strike rate.

Lack of Spin Options: They fielded only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed, which limited their bowling variety.

Records & Key Stats

• Virat Kohli became the Indian cricketer with the most (158) ODI catches.
• He completed 14,000 ODI runs, becoming the fastest to achieve this milestone.
• Kohli surpassed Ricky Ponting’s tally of 27,500+ runs to become the third-highest scorer in international cricket.

Captains’ Reactions

Rohit Sharma: “We are not surprised by Virat’s performance; he did what he does best.”

Mohammad Rizwan: “Winning the toss didn’t help as we failed to reach our target of 280. Kohli and Gill took the game away from us.”

Turning Point of the Match

Kohli’s century and Kuldeep Yadav’s economical bowling played crucial roles in securing India’s victory.

With this emphatic win, India has strengthened its chances of reaching the semifinals, boosting the team’s morale for the upcoming matches.