Dubai – In the fifth and most crucial Pakistan vs India Clash of the ICC Champions Trophy, India defeated Pakistan by 6 wickets. Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first, but the entire team was bowled out for 241 runs, setting a target of 242 runs for India.
Virat Kohli’s Century Powers India to 6-Wicket Win Over Pakistan
Chasing the target, the Indian team got off to a strong start and, thanks to Virat Kohli’s brilliant batting, achieved the target in 42.3 overs.
Must Read: Champions Trophy India-Pak Clash: Pakistan All Out for 241 Runs
India lost their first wicket at 31 runs when captain Rohit Sharma was bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Rohit Sharma scored 20 runs off 15 balls, hitting 1 six and 3 fours.
Earlier, Pakistan had won the toss and decided to bat first against India. In the fifth match of the Champions Trophy at Dubai Cricket Stadium, Pakistani batsmen failed to deliver a strong performance, and the entire team was bowled out for 241 runs, setting a target of 242 runs for India to win. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first against India.
Pakistan vs India Clash: Pakistan Fails to Make a Big Score
Opening the innings for Pakistan, Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq faced India’s fast bowler Mohammad Shami, who bowled the first over. The Pakistani openers started cautiously, taking the team to 26 runs in six overs.
Babar Azam scored 23 runs off 26 balls before being caught behind, while Imam-ul-Haq was run out after scoring 10 runs. Babar Azam played some impressive cover drives, briefly putting Indian players under pressure.
Babar Azam scored 23 runs off 26 balls before being caught behind, while Imam-ul-Haq was run out after scoring 10 runs. Babar Azam played some impressive cover drives, briefly putting Indian players under pressure.
Babar Azam scored 23 runs off 26 balls before being caught behind, while Imam-ul-Haq was run out after scoring 10 runs. Babar Azam played some impressive cover drives, briefly putting Indian players under pressure.
Khushdil Shah continued scoring from one end, with Nasim Shah contributing 14 runs and Haris Rauf adding 8 runs to push the total further. Khushdil Shah was the last Pakistani batsman to be dismissed after scoring 38 runs off 39 balls.
For India, Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, Hardik Pandya grabbed two, while Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each.
Khushdil Shah continued scoring from one end, with Nasim Shah contributing 14 runs and Haris Rauf adding 8 runs to push the total further. Khushdil Shah was the last Pakistani batsman to be dismissed after scoring 38 runs off 39 balls.
For India, Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, Hardik Pandya grabbed two, while Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each.
“Feels Great to Reach the Semifinals” – Virat Kohli
Indian star batter Virat Kohli, who scored a brilliant century against Pakistan, expressed his joy at reaching the semifinals.
Speaking after the match, he said that after Rohit Sharma’s early dismissal, his role was to stabilize the middle order and build partnerships. He added that he avoided taking risks against the spinners, instead focusing on singles and doubles.
Virat Kohli further stated that after establishing a good partnership, Shreyas Iyer accelerated the scoring towards the end, and he himself also struck a few boundaries.
“I’m happy with my performance. When you work hard, you get rewarded. Maintaining the scoring rate during batting is extremely important,” he added.
“Lost Wickets Due to Poor Shot Selection Against India” – Mohammad Rizwan
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan openly discussed his team’s performance after the defeat and admitted that despite winning the toss, they couldn’t capitalize on it.
Rizwan also criticized the team’s fielding, emphasizing the urgent need for improvement. “We made a lot of mistakes in this match, and these errors are being repeated frequently. Hopefully, we will work on them in the future,” he said.
He further stated that Pakistan aimed to set a target of 280 runs, but India’s bowlers delivered brilliantly in the middle overs. “When Saud Shakeel and I were batting, our plan was to build a long partnership, but due to poor shot selection, we lost wickets and were restricted to 240,” he explained.
Rizwan also acknowledged Abrar Ahmed’s crucial breakthrough but admitted that Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill’s outstanding batting took the game away from Pakistan.
