India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025: Virat Kohli scores 51st century

Introduction: India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025

India won a convincing victory against Pakistan during the Champions Trophy 2025 clash in Dubai and Virat Kohli winning the match. Despite a dramatic late breakthrough, courtesy of Shreyas Iyer’s dismissal India effortlessly swept away the 242 target. Kohli fighting through tensions, was unbeaten for 100 of 111 ball winning the match by scoring the boundary.

Kohli’s Record-Breaking Feat

Kohli hit a milestone of historic significance during his innings, crossing 14000 ODI run in a bid to be one of the fastest Indian to reach the milestone and surpass Sachin Tendulkar. His steady innings was the core of India’s pursuit, which was accentuated by his crucial century-long collaboration with Shreyas Iyer that anchored the score following Shubman Gill’s earlier departure.

Gill’s Aggression and Pakistan’s Missed Opportunities

Shubman Gill seemed to be a frenetic mood and launched an early attack at Shaheen Afridi. However, his strike was cut short after Abrar Ahmed hit a perfectly-placed ball that struck the off-stump’s top. Pakistan’s fielding woes persisted when Khushdil Shah dropped a simple catch that left Shaheen Afridi clearly frustrated and Haris Rauf stunned. Gill’s dismissal was a result of Rohit Sharma’s quick exit at 20 but the damage to Pakistan’s bowling pace was already in place.

Pakistan’s Inconsistent Innings

Batting first, Pakistan managed 241 runs before being beaten out in just 50 overs. The innings was characterized by multiple changes in momentum. In the wake of losing 2 wickets in of the initial 10 runs, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel crafted a dazzling 100-run standing. At first, they were hampered by a slow bowling, the pair were able to break free after a string of boundaries that saw Shakeel hitting his fourth ODI half-century, and Rizwan close to scoring fifty.

The resurgence, however, was not long-lasting because Kuldeep Yadav (3/40), Axar Patel as well as Hardik Pandya (2/31) defeated middle-order players. Kuldeep’s incredible spell saw him score a hat-trick, after getting rid of Salman Agha as well as Shaheen Afridi quickly. Khushdil Shah’s 39 gave him some final resistance but was not enough to take Pakistan into a higher-scoring total.

Fielding Highlights and Key Turning Points

Virat Kohli added a highlight to his resume when he completed his 157th Catch in ODI making him India’s most successful catcher within the format. In addition, India’s fielding was slick with Axar Patel hitting a spectacular direct strike to dismiss Imam-ul Haq. Despite a chance missed early of Harshit Axar at Rizwan (44), Axar quickly made amends, cleaning his way through the Pakistan captain within the same over.

India’s Bowling Discipline

The bowlers of India who were led by Kuldeep and Hardik continued to exert pressure. Axar’s shrewd spell cut off Pakistan’s scoring opportunities and in the crucial part, Pakistan endured 32 balls with no boundary. The tight bowling style slowed their runs and forced them to take risky shots.

Injury Scare for India

It was an instant worry for India after Mohammed Shami bowled only two runs before suffering leg discomfort. While he was able to return following treatment, this incident set off early alarms. However the Indian bowling team maintained its discipline, only conceding a few additionals and making sure that Pakistan did not fully benefit from any momentum.

Conclusion

India’s seven-wicket win was the result of a disciplined bowling style solid partnerships, as well as Virat Kohli’s exceptional performance under stress. His unbeaten century, coupled with the crucial contributions of Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill helped ensure that Pakistan’s total of 241 wickets was easily beaten.

With this victory, India has increased its standing in the tournament, whereas Pakistan has to reconsider its position following another miss against their rivals.