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PAK vs IND Highlights: King Kohli's Marvellous Century Downs Pakistan By Six Wickets In Dubai

Arnav Chopra

Virat Kohli and Axar Patel (Source: AP Photos)Virat Kohli and Axar Patel (Source: AP Photos)

In one of the blockbusters in world cricket, India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai courtesy of Virat Kohli's magnificent century. Earlier in the day, Kuldeep Yadav picked up a three-wicket haul to clean up Pakistan for 241 as India completed their second victory in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025.

Here’s the timeline of how PAK vs IND panned out in Dubai:

Shakeel, Rizwan Get Pakistan Back On Track After Two Quick Blows

Winning the toss and opting to bat in Dubai, the Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan side had a fine start to their innings as openers Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam started cautiously. Babar was playing decently until he nicked one to the keeper, KL Rahul, off Hardik Pandya while batting on 23, giving India their first breakthrough.

However, soon after that, Pakistan lost another major blow in the form of Imam-ul-Haq's run-out. He tried to run off quickly but couldn't reach his crease on time, courtesy of Axar Patel's direct throw on the stumps.

This gave the Indian side a significant advantage in the game, as they would have looked to cash in at that opportunity. But Saud Shakeel and skipper Rizwan had other plans, as they kept on batting to provide their side a solid platform to build their innings upon.

Indian Bowlers Inflict The Damage As Pakistan Collapse For 241

The duo batted until the 34th over when Rizwan was cleaned up by Axar trying to go for a big shot, as he was dropped previously by Harshit Rana. Shakeel and Rizwan stitched a crucial 104-run stand for the third wicket, which proved vital for them as they took the score to 151/3. Shakeel went on to score 62, while Rizwan was done for 46.

Two overs after Rizwan's dismissal, Shakeel too had to walk back after being dismissed by Pandya. With four wickets down, Pakistan were again starting to show signs of nerves as wickets kept tumbling one after the other, and by the 43rd over, they were seven down for 200. Only Khushdil Shah stayed at the crease to save Pakistan from another collapse. In the end, courtesy of Khushdil's 38, they reached 241.

But not before Kuldeep Yadav's 3/40, while Pandya's 2/31 proved effective on a slow pitch in Dubai. Pakistan were looking all set to score somewhere around 280, but quick wickets in the middle made it extremely difficult for them as Indian bowlers executed their plans perfectly.

Bowlers Search For Answers As Shubman, Kohli, Iyer Take Control

Chasing 242 for a very crucial victory, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill started off positively, but the skipper fell for 20 courtesy of the left-arm pace of Shaheen Afridi, who bowled a beauty to disturb Sharma's furniture. India, at that stage, were 31 for one and needed a solid partnership to get them closer to the total, which was provided by Gill and incoming batter Virat Kohli.

They battled and stayed together until the 18th over, taking India's score to 100 when Abrar Ahmed did Gill with a magnificent delivery. Shubman scored a crucial 46 from 52 deliveries as India were still 142 runs away from the target with ample time left. By that stage, Kohli was batting on 31. He then took the responsibility, as he usually does, by taking the team's score past 150 with the support of Shreyas Iyer.

On the way, he achieved his half-century off 62 deliveries with four boundaries at that point to his name. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer started off exceptionally slowly, uncharacteristic of his nature in ODI cricket, where he is usually quick to start but managed to spend time on the crease without giving Pakistan any scope except a dropped catch. By the end of 29 overs, India were 150 for just two down with 92 more required for victory, while not much was left in the match.

Kohli's Masterclass, Iyer's Motivation Guides India To Emphatic Victory

Both Kohli and Iyer batted brilliantly in the final phase of the game as they kept on ticking the scoreboard and found occasional boundaries to put Pakistan under deep pressure. India breached the 200-run mark in the 36th over, which was also when they completed the 100-run partnership for the third wicket in just 111 deliveries.

Iyer was soon dismissed for 56 after facing 67 deliveries. By then, India were three down for 214, with just 28 more required for victory. Not long after Iyer's departure, Hardik Pandya was sent back to the pavilion for eight as Shaheen Afridi got his second wicket of the night. India were then four down for 223 when Axar Patel came in.

He didn't have to do much as Virat Kohli brought his sublime touch and scored an unbeaten century off 111 deliveries, with seven fours in total, taking India to a colossal victory in Dubai by six wickets, chasing the score down in 42.3 overs.

Moreover, the right-hander achieved the landmark with a stylish four to finish the game for his nation. Kohli again proved himself to be one of the finest players on the big stage under pressure, helping India ensuring their qualification after this victory.