In the fifth match of the Champions Trophy 2025, India defeated Pakistan handily. They ultimately won the match by a decisive six-wicket margin, their second straight tournament victory.
After the openers were removed during the powerplay, Pakistan’s decision to bat first resulted in just two batters making a significant contribution. Mohammad Rizwan scored 46 and Saud Shakeel scored 62. Pakistan reached a par score of 241 thanks to a mature knock of 38 from Khushdil Shah. Kuldeep Yadav was the highlight, taking three wickets.
Rohit Sharma, the captain, was removed early in the second innings. However, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill worked well together to lead India to greater stability. Later, Kohli teamed up with Shreyas Iyer to create yet another crucial alliance. Kohli finished the game with a stunning ton, despite the latter’s inability to stay until the very end.
Talking Points
1. Pakistan is shocked by Kuldeep Yadav’s twin strike
Before taking a couple of wickets in his seventh over, Kuldeep Yadav was playing a quiet, sedentary game. Salman Agha was removed off a leading edge shortly after Shaheen Shah Afridi left, both of which demonstrated Kuldeep’s remarkable skill at using his variations.
2. With yet another quiet performance, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s problems continue.
Like his recent ODI appearances, the tall Pakistani bowler was quite costly with the ball. In the eight overs he bowled, Shaheen gave up 74 runs even though he took a few wickets. He made a little too many mistakes with his line and length.
3. Finally, Virat Kohli takes the stage.
Even though it wasn’t the easiest track to bat on, Kohli made it look easy. Then came a fantastic anchoring knock that included seven fours. In the end, he finished the game and reached his 51st ODI century in style.
Who Said What?
Losing skipper, Mohammad Rizwan
We won the toss, but we didn’t take the benefit of winning the toss. Their bowlers bowled very well. Me and Saud Shakeel, we wanted to take it deep. Poor shot selection. They put us under pressure. Whenever you lose, you didn’t perform in all departments. We wanted to squeeze, but we couldn’t. Kohli and Gill batted very well and took the game away. We need to improve in our fielding. We did a lot of mistakes in this match.
Winning skipper, Rohit Sharma
The way we started with the ball was superb. We knew it gets slightly better to bat under lights. We backed our experience to get the runs. Credit goes to guys like, Axar, Kuldeep and Jadeja. They stitched a very good partnership – Rizwan and Shakeel. It was important not to let the game drift away. Not to forget the way Hardik, Shami, and Harshit bowled as well. We’ve played a lot together, this format. It can be quite tricky at times. Axar and Kuldeep stepped up today. (On Kohli) He loves representing the country. He wants to be out there. We’ve seen it with him over the years. People in the dressing room are not surprised. It (hamstring) is okay at the moment.
Player of the Match, Virat Kohli
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. 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. 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% every ball in the field, and then God eventually rewards you. Having clarity is important, it was important to understand that you need to get runs when there is pace on the ball, otherwise the spinners can dictate things.
Shubman did well against Shaheen, took him up. There’s a reason he’s the number one batter of the world. It was necessary to get about 60-70 runs in the powerplay, or we’d always be chasing the game. And there Shreyas is really coming into his own at number 4. Did well in India, and now out here as well. (On having a week off) To be honest, at 36, it feels really good. Will put my feet up for a few days as it takes a lot out of me to put that kind of effort into every game.
India
