One of the most awaited block buster rivalries between two Asian neighbours over the decades, which drew interest from billions of diehard fans from across the globe in terms of viewership and social media, saw Team India carve a comfortable six-wicket win over Pakistan , with over seven overs to spare while chasing a tricky target of 242, in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 on Sunday night. The all crucial Group A win, the second in a row for the Rohit Sharma led side at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, UAE, saw them all but seal a semi-final spot and put the reigning champions Pakistan at the brink of an early elimination from the eight-team event after their second successive loss.

The chief protagonist of the Indian win was their batting talismanic batter, Virat Kohli who scored yet another ODI classic ton - his 51st  and the most by anyone in the format, after Indian bowlers led by  Kuldeep Yadav did well to dismiss the reigning champions at 241 in the final over of the match, who at one stage were  well placed at 151 for 2 in the 32nd over. India in the process extended their dominance over Asian rivals by winning their 11^th ICC ODI match, the most by a team.

Coming in to bat after the dismissal of his skipper Rohit who after scoring a brisk 20 off 15-ball was castled by a fast inswinging Yorker by left arm pacer Shaheen Afridi in the powerplay, Kohli anchored the innings with his signature composure and calculated aggression.

The 36-year old former skipper who overcame a lean run, recurring form of dismissals and struggles against spin added 67 runs for the second wicket off 75 balls with opener Shubman Gill who scored a quick fire 46 off 52 balls and later a valuable 114 off 128 balls for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer who scored a classy 67-ball 56, that saw India cross the 200-run mark in the 37th over.

India who were in the cruise mode lost two wickets in quick succession including that of a well set Iyer who after scoring his maiden Champions Trophy fifty fell to an excellent catch by Imam-ul-Haq after diving full-length to his right at extra cover off left arm orthodox spinner Khushdil Shah. All-rounder Hardik Pandya too followed the suit after nicking one behind after scoring eight to Mohammad Rizwan off Afridi in his brief six ball stay at the crease.

Eventually, Kohli (100 off 111) alongside Axar Patel ensured no further hiccups while scoring his maiden first Champions Trophy ton and fourth against Pakistan with a winning boundary (his seventh) over extra-cover off Khushdil when two off were needed for a win, to trigger a jubilation among his team mates and tens of thousands of Indian supporters who witnessed the engrossing match at the venue.

Earlier opting to bat first, Pakistan struggled to build substantial partnerships early on and lost two both their openers in the first power play itself with 47 runs on the board.

Babar Azam displayed positive intent early on in his innings with a couple of glorious boundaries off Indian pacers Harshit Rana and Hardik Pandya to get Pakistan off to a good start. Pandya however removed former Pakistan captain Babar who edged one behind to wicketkeeper KL Rahul, while chasing a delivery outside the off stump. The dismissal was quickly followed by another opener Imam-ul-Haq (10) who was run-out by a brilliant direct hit from Axar Patel in Kuldeep Yadav's first over.

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan joined Saud Shakeel in the middle and the  the duo forged a 104-run stand for the third wicket as Shakeel went on to notch his fourth ODI fifty.

But just as the Pakistan duo seemed on their way to a big first innings total, Axar Patel removed Pakistan skipper Rizwan (46) with a flighted delivery that deceived the right-handed batter from round the wicket to hit the stumps. Shortly afterwards, Pandya removed Shakeel (62) after being pulled for a boundary couple of balls earlier for his second wicket of the day.

Losing two well batters in space off eight runs proved to be the turning point from which Pakistan never recovered. Left arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja made it three wickets for India in four overs, cleaning up Tayyab Tahir to leave Pakistan trailing at 165 for 5.

Left-arm wrist-spin Kuldeep Yadav who has a good track record against Pakistan came into his own, snapping three wickets in his final spell. For Pakistan, Khushdil Shah (38) powered a final push in the lower order but was eventually dismissed by Harshit Rana as India managed to keep Pakistan just under 250.

Virat Kohli,  who was nominated the Player of the Match, for his maiden Champions Trophy ton in the process achieved another milestone, becoming the fastest batter to cross 14,000 ODI runs, further solidifying his status as one of the greatest in the game and became only the third batter in ODI history to do so after greats of the game Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.

"Feels great to bat that way in a high-stakes game, especially with a semifinal spot on the line. After Rohit got out, my role was clear—control the middle overs, play risk-free against spin, and attack the pacers. This is my ODI template, and I stick to it because I understand my game well.  Blocking out the noise and managing my energy levels is key. It’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy of games like these, but I focused on giving my 100%, even in the field. Hard work pays off when you stay disciplined. Clarity is crucial—when there’s pace on the ball, you have to capitalize. Shubman and Shreyas have been outstanding, and everyone in the team has had decent time at the crease, which will help going forward. At 36, a week off is a blessing! It takes a lot out of me to put in this level of effort, so I’ll take the recovery time gladly."

Mohammad Rizwan losing Pakistan Captain, "Winning the toss didn’t help us. Their bowlers were exceptional early on, putting us under pressure. Saud Shakeel and I tried to take it deep, but poor shot selection hurt us. When you lose, it means you haven’t performed well in all departments. We wanted to apply pressure while defending, but Kohli and Gill batted brilliantly and took the game away. Fielding remains a concern—we made too many mistakes today and need to improve going forward."

Rohit Sharma winning India Captain, "Our start with the ball was outstanding. We knew batting would get easier under lights, so we backed our experience to chase it down. Full credit to Axar, Kuldeep, and Jadeja for keeping things tight, especially when Rizwan and Shakeel stitched a good partnership. It was crucial not to let the game drift. Not to forget, Hardik, Shami, and Harshit bowled brilliantly as well. This format can be tricky, but we’ve played together for a long time, and the bowlers stepped up when needed. He (Kohli) thrives on representing the country—his passion is unmatched. We’ve seen it over the years, and no one in the dressing room is surprised by his performances.As for my hamstring, it’s okay for now."

Brief scores (Group A League Match):

Pakistan – 241 all out in 49.4 overs (Saud Shakeel 62 (76b: 5x4s), Mohammad Rizwan 46 (77b: 3x4s); Khushdil Shah 38 (39b: 2x6s); Kuldeep Yadav 3/40, Hardik Pandya 2/31, Harshit Rana 1/30) lost to India 244 for 4 in 42.3 overs (Virat Kohli 100* (111b: 7x6s), Shreyas Iyer 56 (67b: 5x4s, 1x6), Shubman Gill 46 (52b: 7x4s); Shaheen Afridi 2/74, Abrar Ahmed 1/28, Khushdil Shah 1/43) by six wickets and 45 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (India)

Photo Above: Virat Kohli who scored his 51^st ODI ton and first in Champions Trophy has become only the third batter in ODI history to score over 14,000 runs (Photo courtesy ICC).