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Virat Kohli achieves yet another milestone in international cricket

Batting maestro Virat Kohli achieved another milestone in international cricket during the Pakistan-India clash in the fifth match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The right-hander smashed his 51st ODI century, leading the Indian team home in a 242-run chase. He top-scored with 100 off 111 balls, hitting seven fours in a comprehensive chase against the arch-rivals.

However, the stalwart also achieved multiple milestones during the highly-anticipated match between Pakistan and India.

During the crucial game, Virat Kohli surpassed the Australian legend Ricky Ponting to become the third-highest scorer in international cricket.

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The talismanic batter has now amassed 27,503 runs in 614 innings at an average of 52.38. His runs tally includes 82 centuries and 142 half-centuries.

The Indian batter crossed the former Australian captain’s mark of 27,483 runs, elevating to third place in an elite list.

The only players ahead of him are now legendary India and Srilanka batter’s Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.

Most runs in international cricket

Sachin Tendulkar – 34,357

Kumar Sangakara – 28,016

Virat Kohli – 27,503*

Ricky Ponting – 27,483

During the match, the batter also became the fastest player ever to cross 14,000 runs in ODIs, achieving the feat in 287 innings.

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While coming in to bat, he required only 15 runs to break this record; Kohli achieved the milestone with his trademark cover drive in the 12th over of the match in his 287th innings.

Virat Kohli achieved the feat significantly faster than Sachin Tendulkar, who reached the landmark in his 350th innings during a match against Pakistan in Peshawar back in 2006.

The run machine also broke the record for taking the most catches for India in the format.

Before coming into the highly-anticipated clash, Virat Kohli was tied with his compatriot Mohammad Azharuddin. He took two more catches to go past the former captain.

Most catches by an Indian fielder in ODIs

Virat Kohli – 158 catches

Mohammad Azharuddin – 156 catches

Sachin Tendulkar – 140 catches

READ: Hafeez wants Pakistan to move on from Shaheen, Haris, Naseem

‘Brainless Captaincy’ Shoaib Akhtar reacts to Pakistan’s loss against India

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has slammed the national cricket team following their crushing defeat against India in the fifth match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

While speaking on a cricket show, the Rawalpindi Express expressed disappointment with the poor show of green shirts in all departments against arch-rivals.

“We always speak about intent but I think they also lack skills. If they had skills, they wouldn’t have played like way.”

He also talked about the team management and captaincy during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, labeling them “clueless” and “brainless”.

“Clueless management, to be honest, brainless captaincy… absolutely average team who displayed the skills there… nothing to talk about it,” Akhtar said.

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Shoaib Akhtar lamented the team’s ‘successive’ failures in the past few years.

“It is not unusual (from Pakistan team). Nothing to talk about it… they don’t know what to do… honestly nothing,” Shoaib Akhtar added.

Earlier, Virat Kohli’s record-breaking century and disciplined bowling propelled India to a convincing six-wicket victory over Pakistan in a crucial match of marquee event at the Dubai International Stadium.

India chased down a modest 242 with a loss of four wickets and 45 deliveries to spare. Virat Kohli remained unbeaten with 100 runs as he smashed seven fours. Shreyas Iyer struck 56 runs, studded with seven fours and a six.

Shaheen Shah Afridi took two wickets for 74 runs in his 8 overs. For Pakistan, Abrar Ahmed was the only positive as he finished with figures 1-28 in his 10 overs.

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Saud Shakeel scored a fifty as Pakistan set a 242-run target for India. Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan made 46 off 77 balls, while Khushdil Shah scored 38 off 39 deliveries.

Kuldeep Yadav was India’s bowler’s pick, taking three wickets, while Hardik Pandya took two.

Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each in the game.

READ: Champions Trophy: Virat Kohli opens up after his match-winning century against Pakistan

Champions Trophy: Virat Kohli opens up after his match-winning century against Pakistan

DUBAI: India star batter Virat Kohli has opened up after smashing an unbeaten match-winning century against arch-rivals Pakistan in the fifth match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

India thrashed Pakistan by six wickets in a one-sided encounter, thanks to a dominant all-round performance.

The former champions chased down the modest total of 242 runs in 42.3 overs on the loss of four wickets. Top-scorer Kohli smashed an unbeaten century off 111 balls, finishing the match with a boundary.

After the match, Kohli highlighted the joy of reaching the semi-final and blocking out external noise to focus on his team’s success.

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“To be honest, it feels good to be able to bat in that manner in an important game to seal qualification. Feels good to contribute in a game where we lost Rohit early, had to put in the understanding of what we learnt in the last game,” said Kohli.

He further emphasized how he composed his innings after captain Rohit Sharma’s early dismissal.

“My job was to control the middle overs against the spinners without taking too many risks, towards the end Shreyas accelerated and I got a few boundaries as well.”

“It allowed me to play my usual ODI game,” Kohli said.

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The Indian stalwart elaborated on his role in the team and highlighted the importance of mental clarity.

“I have a decent understanding of my game, it is about keeping the outside noise away, staying in my space and taking care of my energy levels and thoughts. Very easy to get pulled into the expectations. My job is to stay in the present and do a job for the team.”

“My keynotes to myself are to put my 100 percent every ball in the field, and then God eventually rewards you,” he said.

READ: Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan reveals reason behind Pakistan’s loss against India

Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan reveals reason behind Pakistan’s loss against India

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has opened up after his team’s defeat against India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

While Speaking after the crushing defeat, Rizwan highlighted that Pakistan failed to capitalize on the toss advantage.

“We won the toss, but we didn’t get the benefit of it. Their bowlers bowled very well. Saud Shakeel and I wanted to take the game deep, but our shot selection let us down. They put us under pressure,” the skipper said.

Rizwan further remarked about losing wickets at crucial junctures and playing rash shots.

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“Saud and I were batting well; we had taken our time, but it could be said that we played poor shots,” said the wicketkeeper.

Mohammad Rizwan lamented the poor display of green shirts in all departments, especially fielding.

“Whenever you lose, it means you didn’t perform well in all departments. We wanted to squeeze them, but we couldn’t.”

“Kohli and Gill batted very well and took the game from us. We need to improve in our fielding as we made a lot of mistakes,” he said.

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For those unaware, India defeated Pakistan comprehensively in a one-sided encounter in the Champions Trophy blockbuster clash.

Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli’s masterful century steered India past Pakistan by six wickets in the fifth match of the eight-nation tournament.

The right-hander slammed his 51st ODI ton to take his team home. He top-scored with 100 runs off 111 balls in his record-breaking innings.

The hosts and defending champions also suffered defeat against New Zealand by 60 runs in the Champions Trophy opener.

READ: Virat Kohli slams ton as India defeats Pakistan in Champions Trophy clash

Virat Kohli creates history, breaks Sachin Tendulkar’s record against Pakistan

DUBAI: India star batter Virat Kohli achieved yet another historic milestone, surpassing legendary Sachin Tendulkar in his team’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Pakistan here on Sunday.

The batting maestro became the only third player in history to reach 14,000 runs in ODIs, with Tendulkar and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara being the other two.

While coming in to bat, he required only 15 runs to break this record; Kohli achieved the milestone with his trademark cover drive in the 12th over of the match in his 287th innings.

Virat Kohli achieved the feat significantly faster than Sachin Tendulkar, who reached the landmark in his 350th innings during a match against Pakistan in Peshawar back in 2006.

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Earlier, he had a chance to break the record during India’s Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Bangladesh. However, he fell cheaply after scoring just 22 runs off 38 balls.

Despite his dismissal, India secured a comfortable victory against Bangladesh by five wickets courtesy of Shubman Gill’s century. The Men in Blue chased 229 in 46.3 overs on the loss of four wickets.

The run machine also broke the record for taking the most catches for India in the format.

Before coming into the highly-anticipated clash, Virat Kohli was tied with his compatriot Mohammad Azharuddin. He took two more catches to go past the former captain.

Most catches by an Indian fielder in ODIs

Virat Kohli – 158 catches

Mohammad Azharuddin – 156 catches

Sachin Tendulkar – 140 catches

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

Playing XIs of Pakistan-India

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Tayyab Tahir, Salman Agha, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami

READ: Champions Trophy: Dominant India bundle Pakistan for 241

Babar Azam achieves major milestone during India clash

DUBAI: Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam achieved a significant milestone during his team’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against India here on Sunday.

Babar became the third Pakistan batter to score more than a thousand runs in 50-over ICC tournaments.

Going through a rough patch, the right-hander could only score 23 runs from 26 deliveries with the help of five boundaries.

However, it was enough for the star batter to breach the 1000-run mark, joining the likes of legendary Saeed Anwar and Javed Miandad.

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Saeed Anwar, Pakistan’s best opener, leads the list with 1204 runs, followed by Miandad (1083) and Babar (1014).

Babar Azam achieved the milestone in 24 innings, making him the fastest Pakistani batter to break into an elusive list.

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Meanwhile, Babar is the fastest to amass the milestone, taking 24 innings, one fewer than Anwar.

Fastest to 1000 runs in ICC ODI events for Pakistan:

Babar Azam: 24 innings

Saeed Anwar: 25 innings

Javed Miandad: 30 innings

Playing XIs of Pakistan-India

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Tayyab Tahir, Salman Agha, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami

READ: Virat Kohli eyes Sachin Tendulkar’s record against Pakistan

Virat Kohli eyes Sachin Tendulkar’s record against Pakistan

DUBAI: India star batter Virat Kohli is on the brink of yet another historic milestone, with a chance to surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in his team’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Pakistan here on Sunday.

The batting maestro needs just 15 more runs to become only the third player in history to reach 14,000 runs in ODIs, with Tendulkar and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara being the other two.

If Virat Kohli gets there in the match against Pakistan, he will achieve the feat in his 287th innings—significantly faster than Sachin Tendulkar, who reached the landmark in his 350th innings during a match against Pakistan in Peshawar back in 2006.

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He had a chance to break the record during India’s Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Bangladesh. However, he fell cheaply after scoring just 22 runs off 38 balls.

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

Playing XIs of Pakistan-India

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Tayyab Tahir, Salman Agha, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami

READ: Mohammed Shami registers unwanted record in Pakistan clash

Shubman Gill reveals team under more pressure in Pakistan-India clash

DUBAI: India vice-captain Shubman Gill has revealed which team will be under more pressure in the highly-anticipated match against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

While addressing the pre-match conference, Gill highlighted the Dubai pitch conditions and said that the team batting second will be under more pressure in the marquee clash.

“Anything over 300 is a ‘very good’ total considering the conditions in Dubai, and with no dew around, the team batting second will be under more pressure.”

“Toss does not matter in Dubai. The dew is not setting in; if it were, it would have made a major difference,” said Gill.

India’s top-order batter also spoke about the Men in Blue’s approach for the highly-anticipated clash, emphasizing the need to play aggressively.

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“As a batter, you need to assess the conditions. Definitely, we need to play aggressive and positive cricket, but that depends on how the wicket plays. On these wickets, 260-280 is a good total.”

“On another wicket, we might look to get 320, 350-plus. We don’t have any particular target. But, we try to get 15–30 runs more than par total on any pitch,” he remarked.

Shubman Gill also spoke about the India-Pakistan rivalry, not considering Pakistan a lesser opponent.

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“India vs Pakistan is big, but Champions Trophy final is the bigger match. We have been playing good cricket but we will not take Pakistan as a lesser side.”

For those unaware, the hosts and defending champions Pakistan did not have the best of starts after losing against New Zealand by 60 runs in the Champions Trophy 2025 opening game.

On the other hand, India opened its campaign by securing a comfortable victory against Bangladesh, courtesy of Shubman Gill’s blistering century.

READ: Champions Trophy: Aqib Javed opens up on Pakistan’s likely playing XI for India clash

Champions Trophy: Aqib Javed opens up on Pakistan’s likely playing XI for India clash

DUBAI: Pakistan interim head coach Aqib Javed has hinted at the team’s balance ahead of the much-anticipated clash against India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, set to be played tomorrow here at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

While addressing the media at a press conference, Aqib emphasized the importance of maintaining a proper mix of pacers and spinners against the arch-rivals.

“The Pakistan team is well balanced, and you will not see any major changes in the playing XI.”

“We have a specialist spinner along with Khushdil Shah and Agha Salman. We have to balance our team; It’s not like we can play five spinners, and we cannot see any pitches offering excessive turn for the spinners,” said Aqib.

The former pacer highlighted the importance of mindset and handling pressure, particularly for young players ahead of the blockbuster match against India in the Champions Trophy 2025.

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“The environment is very important. If you tell young players that pressure exists but it’s just a match, go out and show your talent and forget the result, it makes a difference,” he explained.

Aqib Javed further emphasized the fear of losing and the outcomes of the result.

“There’s always a fear, what if we lose? Nothing happens. Play with courage, and everyone will understand the result in eight hours,” he remarked.

The interim head coach also highlighted the much-anticipated rivalry between Pakistan and India.

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“Whether it’s after winning 10 matches or losing six, the excitement of Pakistan-India match remains the same,” he stated.

When asked about Pakistan’s team’s ability to play modern-day cricket in the T20 era, he said it depends on the mindset.

“It’s all about the mindset, how you assess the conditions, the crowd and the pitch. Are they similar to what we have in Pakistan, or are they slightly different? We will play accordingly,” said Aqib.

READ: Champions Trophy: Former captain calls for Imam-Kamran opening pair for India clash

Champions Trophy: Former captain calls for Imam-Kamran opening pair for India clash

Former captain Mohammad Hafeez has urged a change in the Pakistan team’s opening pair for the highly-anticipated clash against India at the Champions Trophy 2025, set to be played tomorrow in Dubai International Stadium.

After regular opener Saim Ayub’s injury, Pakistan was forced to change their opening pair. Pakistan’s middle-order mainstay, Babar Azam, was elevated as the opener for the tri-nation series and Champions Trophy.

However, the national side suffered another blow following the injury of opening batter Fakhar Zaman in their opening game against New Zealand on 19 February.

Left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq was brought into the squad as his replacement for the side’s remaining games in the Champions Trophy 2025.

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As Pakistan prepares for the clash against India tomorrow, Hafeez has suggested going into the game with the opening pair of Imam-ul-Haq and Kamran Ghulam.

During an appearance on a private TV show, Hafeez reiterated his stance of restoring Babar Azam to his usual No. 3 position, where he scored most of his runs in the ODI format.

“Babar Azam has to come at No. 3. If Fakhar Zaman’s replacement as the opener and Kamran Ghulam open the inning, then our remaining batting order will be sorted out,” Hafeez said.

The former batter also emphasized that Kamran Ghulam has shown his potential by performing in Tests and ODIs for Pakistan on recent tours.

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He further emphasized the batting position of Pakistani batters for the highly anticipated clash.

“Babar will come at No. 3, Mohammad Rizwan at No. 4, and Salman Agha will bat at No. 5,” he said.

Mohammad Hafeez believed the current team combination would not benefit the side in the upcoming IND vs. PAK game at the Champions Trophy 2025.

“If we stick with the same composition, then the results will be the same,” he concluded.

READ: Champions Trophy: Ben Duckett’s blistering 165 takes England to 351 against Australia