India skipper Rohit Sharma was not playing at his best on Sunday in the high-octane Champions Trophy match against Pakistan in Dubai as he was dealing with a hamstring injury scare. In the middle of Pakistan's innings, the Indian captain was off the field for about ten overs. Rohit seemed uneasy and kept holding his leg even after he returned to the field in the second half of the first innings. In his absence, Shubman Gill took the charge on the field.
Rohit gives update on his hamstring injury
Indian captain ensured that his hamstring was alright at the moment. This is great news for India as Rohit has been a player that ensures that the Men in Blue get a good start to their innings. He also praised the Indian players for their astonishing performance against Pakistan.
"The way we started with the ball was superb. We knew it gets slightly better to bat under lights. We backed our experience to get the runs. Credit goes to guys like, Axar, Kuldeep and Jadeja. They stitch a very good partnership - Rizwan and Shakeel. It was important not to let the game drift away," said Rohit Sharma in the post-match presentation.
"Not to forget the way Hardik, Shami and Harshit bowled as well. We've played a lot together, this format. It can be quite tricky at times. Axar and Kuldeep stepped up today. (On Kohli) He loves representing the country. He wants to be out there. We've seen it with him over the years. People in the dressing room are not surprised. It (hamstring) is okay at the moment," he added.
India beat Pakistan
India came out to chase 242 runs and once again Rohit Sharma tried to give the team a good start. However, he could not do it for a long time as Shaheen Afridi dismissed him on the score of 20 off 15 balls. Later Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli joined 69 runs to further progress the Indian innings.
After that Kohli and Shreyas Iyer joined a match-winning stand of 114-run stand that ensured the Indian team would once again be playing the knockout stage in the Champions Trophy 2025. Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya got out but India's win was ensured at that point.
Virat Kohli smashed his historic 51st century and became the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to hit 51 centuries in a single format. Legendary Tendulkar achieved this in Test cricket while Kohli did it in ODIs. Kohli completed the century by hitting a match-winning century. This is also his first century in the Champions Trophy century.