Virat Kohli continued to live up to his reputation of ‘Chase Master’ by delivering a knock for the ages, sealing a six-wicket victory for India against the arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy group stage match on Sunday in Dubai.
Despite using everything in their arsenal, Virat singlehandedly proved to be a hurdle that Pakistan couldn’t overcome. He orchestrated a masterclass with the bat to cap off India’s success and send Pakistan on the verge of elimination.
With his prolific form, Virat completed 14,000 ODI runs while steering India to a memorable victory over India’s bitter rival.
In pursuit of a 242-run target, Rohit Sharma preserved his fireworks for Naseem Shah and launched a blistering attack before Shaheen Afridi cleaned up his middle stump with an inswinging yorker on 20(15).
After a swift 31-run opening stand, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli held India’s inning with a touch of caution and aggression. Gill played the role of aggressor while Virat anchored the partnership.
With Naseem and Shaheen proving to be ineffective in the powerplay, skipper Mohammad Rizwan introduced tearaway Haris Rauf into the attack.
In his first over of the match, Haris almost got the breakthrough after Gill pulled the ball straight to Khusdil Shah, who squandered the opportunity. After the drop chance, a few sulking faces were already visible on the Pakistan team.
Gill and Virat stitched up a 69-run partnership before mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed forced a breakthrough. A carrom ball from Abrar did the trick, leaving Gill baffled by the turn it extracted. Gill was beaten by Abrar’s spin and returned with a handy knock of 46(52).
Shreyas Iyer joined hands with Virat and orchestrated a partnership that broke the backbone of Pakistan’s defence. Virat adopted the policy of watching the ball till the end while Shreyas pulled out a flurry of reverse sweeps to keep Pakistan’s attack at bay.
With a sublime stroke, Virat dispatched the ball towards the boundary rope for a four to celebrate his 74th ODI fifty. Bowlers changed at the other end but failed to break past the formidable partnership brewing between Virat and Shreyas.
In the 31st over, Shreyas took the aerial route by ambling down the pitch and clobbering the ball over deep mid-wicket for a towering maximum. He went on to complete his 21st ODI fifty with a single in the 37th over.
In the 39th over, an excellent catch from Imam-ul-Haq off Khushdil Shah brought an end to Shreyas’ exploits on the crease with a score of 56(67). Hardik Pandya came in, muscled the ball away to four and pulled it to Rizwan off Shaheen to return to the dressing room with 8(6).
Virat continued to labour hard for his record-extending 51st ODI century and eventually got his hands on it with a delicious cover drive, sealing a six-wicket win for India with more than seven overs to spare.
Earlier in the match, Pakistan’s openers, Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam, provided a solid start, putting up 41 runs before Hardik Pandya broke the partnership. Imam-ul-Haq soon followed, run out by Axar Patel for 10, leaving Pakistan at 47/2.
Babar Azam’s 23 off 26 balls, including five boundaries, was a highlight of the innings. Pakistan reached their fifty in 9.4 overs. Saud Shakeel and captain Mohammad Rizwan rebuilt the innings with a crucial 104-run partnership.
Shakeel brought up his half-century off 63 balls, while Rizwan scored a patient 46 off 77 deliveries, including three boundaries, before being cleaned up by Axar Patel in the 33rd over, reducing Pakistan to 151/3.
Soon after, Shakeel was dismissed for 62 by Pandya, bringing Pakistan to 159/4. Tayyab Tahir failed to make an impact, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja for just 4, causing Pakistan to slip to 165/5.
Pakistan reached 200 in 42.3 overs but lost three quick wickets, with Salman Agha (19) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (0) falling in quick succession. Naseem Shah contributed 14 before being dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav. Pakistan were 222/7.
Kuldeep Yadav was India’s standout performer, claiming 3/40 in his nine overs. He became the latest Indian bowler to reach 300 international wickets. Pandya, who completed 200 international wickets, finished with 2/31.
Haris Rauf was run out for 8, while Khushdil Shah played a crucial late knock of 38 off 39 balls, helping Pakistan reach 241. Shah was the last to depart, as Harshit Rana claimed his first wicket of the match.
Pakistan’s lower order struggled to accelerate the scoring, with Khushdil Shah’s 38 off 39 balls being the only notable contribution.
Pakistan managed 241 in 49.4 overs. Except for Mohammed Shami, all Indian bowlers chipped in with wickets. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja picked up a wicket each, while Kuldeep Yadav was the standout performer with 3/40 in his nine overs. (ANI)
