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Virat Kohli's masterful century led India to an emphatic win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their Champions Trophy clash at the Dubai International stadium on February 23, Sunday. Maintaining his exceptional form against their rivals, Kohli remained unbeaten on 100 runs, guiding India to successfully chase down the target of 242. With India needing only two more runs for victory, Kohli sealed the win with a boundary, triggering an eruption of joy from the crowd.
Kohli's 51st ODI century was met with a standing ovation from captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Rohit Sharma lavishes praise on Virat Kohli's century
With this Virat Kohli roared back to form, especially after his 22-run knock in the previous match against Bangladesh. His performance against Pakistan effectively silenced any lingering concerns about his form. In the post-match presentation, Indian captain Rohit Sharma lauded for Kohli's superlative innings.
“Virat loves representing the country and wants to be out there playing for the team, doing what he does best. Over the years, we’ve seen this, and those in the dressing room aren’t surprised by his performance. It was good for him to finish the game, with a couple of crucial contributions from others,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
Kohli, batting at number three, delivered a match-winning century, scoring 100 runs off 111 balls. This marked his 82nd career century and his 51st in ODIs. He also achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the fastest batsman in the world to reach 14,000 ODI runs, accomplishing this in his 287th innings, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's previous record of 356 innings.
Kohli's knock, which was decorated with seven boundaries, began with a measured approach before he accelerated, particularly against Haris Rauf, showcasing his exquisite cover drives. While facing challenges against spin bowlers, Kohli demonstrated his resilience and determination, ultimately scoring the winning runs to guide India to victory against Pakistan. This century was a landmark achievement for Kohli, being his first in the Champions Trophy, and he also became the first batsman to score an ODI century against Pakistan in the World Cup, Champions Trophy, and Asia Cup.
“To be honest, it feels good to be able to bat in that manner in an important game to seal qualification. My job was to control the middle overs against the spinners without taking too many risks, towards the end Shreyas accelerated and I got a few boundaries as well. It allowed me to play my usual ODI game,” Rohit concluded.
Riding on the comprehensive win, India cruised to the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal, while Pakistan now stare at the early elimination from the tournament.
India will next face New Zealand on March 2 in their last-league match, Pakistan will face Bangladesh on February 27.
