Virat Kohli turned Pakistan's nightmare yet again and snatched the match away from them with a magnificent century in India's emphatic six-wicket win in their Champions Trophy clash at the Dubai International stadium on February 23.
Virat Kohli recorded his 51st ODI ton, which is now the most by any batter in the word. He apparently surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's record of most ODI centuries, i.e. 50. It was also Kohli's first-ever century in the Champions Trophy history.
Kohli entered the match with India at 31/1 in the fifth over, tasked with chasing a target of 242. He played a masterful innings, taking 111 balls to reach his century, which included seven boundaries. The final boundary not only completed his hundred but also secured India's victory. His outstanding performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
Virat Kohli's strong reply to critics after match-winning century against Pakistan
After winning the match for India, Kohli strongly hit out at critics and said it's all about keeping the outside noise away. Kohli was going through a massive form slump which saw him struggling in India's recent Test outings. Kohli came under strict scrutiny after his back-to-back flop show. He headed into the tournament drawing confidence from a solitary fifty in ODI series against England but yet again faltered in India's Champions Trophy campaign opener against Bangladesh where he could score just 22 runs. However, he has shut down all his critics and reminded everyone why is considered the modern great.
"It feels to be good to bat in that manner in an important game, where a spot for semis was there to be taken, after Rohit fell. My job was clear - to control the middle overs, not take risks against spinners and take on pacers. I was happy with the template, it's how I play in ODIs. I have a decent understanding of my game. It's about keeping the outside noise away, take care of my energy levels and thoughts. It's easy for me to get pulled into expectations and frenzy around games like these," Kohli said at the post-match presentation following Pakistan's drubbing.
"I kept telling myself I'll give my 100% while fielding. It's why I take pride in it. When you put your head down and go about your work, things work out. Clarity is important, when there is pace on the ball you have to get scoring. Shubman and Shreyas have been excellent. Everyone's got a decent knock in these conditions, that'll augur well in the coming matches. At 36, a week off is very good. It takes a lot out of me to put in that much effort," Kohli concluded.
During this innings, Kohli also clocked a historic milestone by becoming the fastest batsman to reach 14,000 runs in One-Day Internationals, surpassing the record previously held by Sachin Tendulkar.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan, after winning the toss and electing to bat, were bowled out for 241 runs. Their innings was anchored by Mohammad Rizwan's 46 off 77 balls and Saud Shakeel's half-century of 62 off 76 balls.
While India have cruised into the Champions Trophy semifinal, Pakistan are all but out of the tournament having lost two back-to-back matches. India will next take on New Zealand on March 2 in their last league match while Pakistan will lock horns with Bangladesh on February 27.