Dubai, February 24(HS): Indian star batsman Virat Kohli made a great comeback in ODI cricket and left his mark in the ICC Champions Trophy against Pakistan. Kohli scored an unbeaten 100 runs in 111 balls to give India an important victory and complete his 51st ODI century. With this win, the possibility of Pakistan being out of the Champions Trophy early has increased further. If New Zealand defeats Bangladesh on Monday (24 February), Pakistan may be out of the tournament.
India lost the wicket of captain Rohit Sharma (20) early while chasing the target of 242 runs, but Kohli put the team in a strong position by partnering with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. Gill faced Shaheen Afridi’s opening spell brilliantly and scored a crucial 46 runs, helping India score 64/1 in the first 10 overs.
After the match, Kohli said, It was great to bat like this in an important match. Our goal was to maintain control against the spinners by not taking too many risks in the middle overs. Shreyas accelerated in the end and I also got a chance to hit some boundaries.
Shaheen Afridi gave India a jolt by sending Rohit Sharma (20) to the pavilion early for Pakistan, but Gill and Kohli ensured that there was no pressure on the team. Kohli’s strike rotation and Gill’s aggressive batting put India in a strong position in the powerplay.
Kohli said, Clarity is important, especially when it comes to scoring runs against fast bowlers. Shubman played brilliantly against Shaheen, that is why he is the world’s number 1 batsman. It was important to score runs quickly in the powerplay, so that the pressure does not increase later.
After this victory, India is in a strong position with two wins in the tournament and the team will get a chance to rest before the match against New Zealand next Sunday.
Kohli said, At the age of 36, a break of a few days is really relieving. It takes a lot of hard work to perform like this in every match.
Now India will prepare for their next match, while Pakistan will have to depend on the results of other teams to stay in the tournament.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
