DUBAI (Reuters) – Milestone man Virat Kohli anchored a tricky chase with an unbeaten hundred as India put one foot in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy with a six-wicket victory against Pakistan in a high-octane Group A match between the arch-rivals on Sunday.
An architect of countless successful chases, Kohli made 100 not out as India overwhelmed the 242-run target with 7.3 overs to spare to register their second successive victory of the tournament.
Electing to bat, Pakistan made 241 before being all out with two deliveries left in their stop-start innings with Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46) scoring the bulk of the runs.
Player of the match Kohli also became only the third batter, after compatriot Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara, to complete 14,000 runs in ODIs, reaching the mark quicker than them.
“I think the way we started with the ball was superb,” India captain Rohit Sharma said.
“To restrict them to that kind of score was a great effort from the bowling unit.
“We knew it would get slightly better to bat under lights… we backed the experience that we have in our batting line-up to go out there and get those runs.”
India seamer Mohammed Shami began with an 11-ball over that included five wides after Pakistan captain Mohammed Rizwan won the toss and elected to bat.
Shami looked in discomfort in his third over and, replacing him, Hardik Pandya had Babar Azam (23) caught behind. Pakistan lost their other opener in the next over when Imam-ul-Haq departed run out.
Saud and Rizwan added 104 runs to steady Pakistan but Pakistan lost both their set batters after Axar Patel bowled Rizwan and took a catch to send back Saud.
Spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3-40) dismissed Salman Agha and Shaheen Afridi in successive deliveries but was denied a hat-trick.
Khushdil Shah contributed 38 down the order but played three dot balls in the final over before holing out in the deep to be the last man out.
Rohit (20) began briskly when India came out to chase but the opener had his stumps rearranged by an unplayable yorker from Afridi in the fourth over.
Shubman Gill (46) played some gorgeous drives and seemed to have luck on his side too as he pulled Haris Rauf but Khushdil at midwicket spilled the catch.
Gill fell short of his half-century when his defence was breached by a sharply turning delivery from Abrar Ahmed.
Shreyas Iyer (56) joined Kohli in accumulating risk-free runs to calm any nerves in the Indian dressing room.
Kohli manoeuvred the field with ease and sealed India’s victory with a four that also brought up his 51st ODI hundred.
Pakistan’s title defence hangs by a thread following their second successive defeat in the tournament and their theoretical chances of making the last four will depend on other results.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Clare Fallon)
