PAK vs IND Review: Dominant India forces Pakistan towards elimination
Match 5 of the Champions Trophy 2025 saw India clinch victory by a comfortable six-wicket margin over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23.
Pakistan lost both their opening batters within the powerplay on winning the toss. A 104-run third-wicket partnership between Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46) brought stability to the innings. Other than these two and Khushdil Shah who chipped in with a 38-run knock, none of the other batters contributed as Pakistan were skittled for 241 in 49.4 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav ended up taking a three-wicket haul in the nine overs while Axar Patel was the only Indian to complete his 10-over quota. Hardik Pandya was quite impressive with the ball too. The star all-rounder picked up a couple of wickets in the eight overs sent down by him.
Rohit Sharma departed after looking promising before Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli steadied the ship with a vital third-wicket stand. Gill fell four short of his half-century before Shreyas Iyer joined Kohli in the middle. The two milked runs in the middle overs to make India inch closer to the target. Iyer departed soon after getting to his 21st ODI fifty.
However, Kohli did not commit the same mistake. The ace batter anchored his way to his 51st ODI ton in fine style. He got to the landmark while hitting the winning shot. Abrar Ahmed was the most economical bowler for Pakistan, ending up conceding only 28 runs in his entire quota. The rest of the bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi in particular, looked far from their best.
Top Performers of the match
Virat Kohli (100 off 111)
Through this particular innings, Kohli showed just why he was regarded as the chase master when it comes to the ODI format. Kohli’s innings was calculated and involved a lot of running. His ton comprised seven boundaries in total.
Kuldeep Yadav (3/40 in nine overs)
The wily wrist-spin of Kuldeep came to the fore just when India needed it the most. His double-wicket over, the 43rd of the first innings, was detrimental to Pakistan’s cause. He later went on to dismiss Naseem Shah to claim his third of the game.
What’s next for both sides?
India will take on New Zealand at the same venue a week from now, on Sundar, March 2. On the other hand, Pakistan will come up against Bangladesh on Thursday, February 27. Both the matches are scheduled to commence on 2:30 pm (IST).
