Champions Trophy: Kohli, Iyer Shine as India Storm into Semi-Finals with Dominant Win Over Pakistan

Dubai, Feb 23 – Virat Kohli’s masterful unbeaten century powered India to a resounding six-wicket victory over Pakistan in their Group A clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. With this triumph, India became the first team to book a spot in the semi-finals of the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Chasing a target of 242, Shreyas Iyer played a composed yet impactful innings of 56, forming a crucial partnership with Kohli to steer India to victory in just 42.3 overs. Meanwhile, Pakistan, having suffered back-to-back defeats, is now on the verge of elimination. A win for New Zealand against Bangladesh on Monday would officially knock them out of the tournament.

Earlier, India’s bowlers put on an impressive show, restricting Pakistan to 241 in 49.4 overs. Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball, picking up 3-40, while Hardik Pandya delivered a fine spell, claiming 2-31.

Pakistan, after opting to bat first, struggled to maintain momentum despite a promising 104-run partnership between Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46). From a strong position at 151-2, Pakistan suffered a dramatic collapse, failing to capitalize on their foundation.

In addition to Kuldeep and Hardik, Harshit Rana, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel chipped in with a wicket each, ensuring regular breakthroughs despite conceding 17 extras.

India’s bowling attack struck early as Hardik removed Pakistan captain Babar Azam, forcing an edge to KL Rahul. Imam-ul-Haq, returning to ODIs after the 2023 World Cup, struggled to find form and was run out for 10 off 26 balls following a sharp direct hit from Axar Patel.

Pakistan’s innings slowed significantly, managing just one boundary between the 11th and 20th over, with India keeping the pressure on Rizwan and Shakeel. Although the pair attempted to accelerate in the middle overs, India remained sharp in the field, with Axar Patel eventually dismissing Rizwan for 46.

Shakeel was given a reprieve after a dropped catch by Kuldeep, but he soon fell to Hardik’s clever short ball, pulling it straight to deep mid-wicket. Pakistan’s innings further crumbled, losing three wickets in a span of 11 runs between the 34th and 37th overs.

Kuldeep then wrapped up the lower order, dismissing Salman Ali Agha, trapping Shaheen Shah Afridi lbw with a googly, and sending Naseem Shah back with a catch at long-on. Despite brief resistance from Khushdil Shah and Haris Rauf, who hit a six each, Pakistan could only muster 241 on a sluggish surface.

Brief Scores:
Pakistan: 241 all out in 49.4 overs (Saud Shakeel 62, Mohammad Rizwan 46; Kuldeep Yadav 3-40, Hardik Pandya 2-31)
India: 244/4 in 42.3 overs (Virat Kohli 100*, Shreyas Iyer 56; Shaheen Afridi 2-74, Abrar Ahmed 1-28)
Result: India won by six wickets.