Picture : BCCI/ X
The much hyped rivalry has off-late become a one-sided one as a dominant all- round India outclassed a listless Pakistan by 6 wickets in their Champions Trophy 2025 encounter in Dubai .
In a must win situation for Pakistan after their first match loss to New Zealand, Pakistan Skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bat first . The innings got off well with 47 on board with Babar Azam and Imam-ul- Haq. Babar hit some glorious shots but he did not last long out for 23. Imam-ul- Haq committed suicide by going for a needless run which was not there and was run- out for 10.
There after Skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel put the innings on track but they took lot of time and consumed many balls. There was no intent , aggression on their part . Just going through the motions. Allowed India to put pressure. It hurt Pakistan badly. Saud Shakeel scored his fourth ODI fifty 62 ( 76 Balls 5 fours), Rizwan after slow start scored 46 ( 77 balls , 3 fours) . There after Pak lost wickets at regular intervals.
Salman Agha ( 19) , Tayyab Tahir ( 4) , Khushdil Shah ( 38), Shaeen Afridi ( 0), Naseem Shah ( 14) , Haris Rauf ( 8) , Abrar Ahmed not out 0 . Pakistan which hoped a total to 250 plus to test the heavy Indian batting line- up was left disappointed as they managed a total of 241/ 10 in 49. 4 overs. A total tough to defend against powerful Indian batting line-up
India Bowling figures : Mohammed Shami 0/ 43 ( 8 overs) , Harshit Rana 1/ 30 ( 7.4 overs) , Hardik Pandya 2/ 31 ( 8 overs) , Axar Patel 1/ 49 ( 10 overs) , Kuldeep Yadav 3/ 40 ( 9 overs) , Ravindra Jadeja 1/ 40 ( 7 overs)
In reply, India got off to a flier with Skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Pressure was on Pakistan straight away. Unlike Pak batting , India were clear and positive from the start. It took a special Shaheen Afridi yorker to get Rohit bowled for 20 ( 15 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) , Fellow opener Gill was in fine touch as he scored a fluent 46 ( 52 balls, 7 fours) before been bowled by a ripper from Abrar Ahmed.
But the star of the Indian innings was superstar Virat Kohli, Looking eager and hungry for the big match, Virat’s eyes and body language said he meant business . And he showed that aplenty with those gorgeous cover drives, hard running between the wickets. It was sublime Kohli as he smashed his 51st ODI hundred 100 ( 111 balls , 7 fours) . Virat in the process crossed another landmark crossing the 14, 000 run barrier and in the filed took his 158th catch. So fine match for the legend and fittingly won the MOM.
Shreyas Iyer chipped in with a quick 56 ( 67 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) , Hardik Pandya was out for 8. Axar Patel not out 6 along with Kohli saw India home in emphatic fashion. India reaching 244/ 4 in 42. 3 overs. A win by 45 balls to spare was a convincing win . Pakistan dropped few chances and it cost them dearly . The loss to India means their run in the tournament is as good as over.
Pakistan bowling : Shaheen Afridi 2/ 74 ( 8 overs) was expensive as lead bowler. Naseem Shah 0/ 37 ( 8 overs) , Haris Rauf 0/ 52 ( 7 overs) , Abrar Ahmed 1/ 28 ( 10 overs) , Khushdil Shah 1/ 43 ( 7.3 overs) , Salman Agha 0/ 10 ( 2 overs)
Match: Champions Trophy, 5th Match
Venue: Dubai | Date: Feb 23, 2025
