Champions Trophy 2025: Indian outfielder Virat Kohli surpasses Rahul Dravid’s record for most catches

Virat Kohli holds a number of hitting records, but on Tuesday, March 4, he made history by fielding in the opening innings of India vs. Australia’s 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

When he caught Josh Inglis in the 27th over, Virat Kohli accomplished a noteworthy feat. The former captain of India made one of his easiest catches in his career. Attempting to hit Ravindra Jadeja off the back foot, the Australian batsman-wicketkeeper found Kohli at cover. India’s fourth wicket of the day came from the easy dismissal.

It was a very memorable moment for Virat Kohli, though, as he broke the mark of 334 catches made by an Indian outfielder in all forms by former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid.

In his 549th outing for his country, Virat Kohli accomplished this feat.

Additionally, Kohli’s catch enabled him surpass former Australia captain Ricky Ponting (160) for the second-most catches made by an outfielder in International Test matches. With 218 catches at the end of his storied career, Sri Lankan star Mahela Jayawardena is currently the only player behind Kohli.

Mohammed Shami scores three runs as Australia is bowled out for 264.

On Tuesday, when Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first, Travis Head gave Australia a blazing start. As his new opening partner Cooper Connolly was sent off for a duck, Head took his time to comprehend the terms.

Before Head left for a 33-ball 39, Smith and Head stitched a partnership of 50 runs. In an effort to give Australia a strong foundation, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne batted brilliantly. However, the latter was removed by Jadeja for 29 after failing to turn his start into a significant score.

Before Smith and Carey teamed together, Inglis went down for 11. They put Australia in a strong position by scoring 54 runs off of 58 deliveries. But as India turned the tide back in their favor, Smith and Glenn Maxwell were removed in quick succession.

A patient 73 off 96 balls was scored by Smith. But Carey, who hammered 61 off 57 balls on a challenging surface, was the best batter the Australians had to offer. Mohammed Shami concluded with stats of 3/48 in 10 overs, and Australia was eventually knocked out for 264 in 49.3 overs.