Champions Trophy: India thrash Pakistan by 6 wickets

Virat Kohli led the charge with the bat as India scripted a commanding win against Pakistan. It was box-office entertainment as Virat Kohli & India delivered a classic Champions Trophy encounter against Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai. His unbeaten 100 helped India claim an authoritative six-wicket win over their traditional rivals and all but seal a semifinal spot in the Champions Trophy. Chasing a tricky 242, India rode on Kohli's 51st ODI ton, Shreyas Iyer's classy 67-ball 56 and Shubman Gill's brilliant start of 46 off 52 balls to overhaul the target with more than seven overs to spare. Kohli rebelled against his own modest recent form and a dangerous opposition to peel off a memorable knock that took 111 balls and was punctuated with seven fours.

Virat Kohli at his absolute best as India make it two wins from two in the #ChampionsTrophy #PAKvIND https://t.co/O9lMfFTkQy pic.twitter.com/naqYOw8hVw

— ICC (@ICC) February 23, 2025

Pakistan, on the other hand, are on their way out of the tournament of which they are the hosts.A large chunk of credit for this win can also be rightfully claimed by Indian bowlers, who were stunningly accurate while limiting Pakistan to 241. That total was made possible by Saud Shakeel's polished fifty and Khushdil's cameo. Shakeel (62, 76b, 5x4) was largely untroubled and added 104 runs for the third wicket with skipper Mohammad Rizwan (46), but Pakistan never really managed to break the shackles after opting to bat.Khushdil (38, 39 balls) played a couple of big shots, including the first six of Pakistan innings, that helped his side reach a healthy total but Kohli's brilliance was too high to match on the night.