Virat Kohli proved he is not a spent force yet as India's batting stalwart produced a match-winning hundred in a Champions Trophy humdinger against arch-rivals Pakistan at Dubai on Sunday. Kohli's unbeaten 100 helped India pull off a potentially tricky chase of 242 to register their second successive win of the tournament and inch closer to a semi-final berth. During the course of his 51st ODI hundred, Kohli also became only the third player - after compatriot Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara - to complete 14,000 runs in this format taking fewer innings than both.
Soon after hitting the boundary, which took India to a six-wicket win over a listless Pakistan, Kohli took his helmet off and looked towards the skies, and then asked his captain, Rohit Sharma to calm down, since he had been out there in the middle! “King Kohli,” who trained for an extra couple of hours on the eve of the match against local spinners with India’s batting coaches, roared back into form in grand style when it mattered most in the big game.
Unleashing his vintage form with injured premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah watching from the stands along with several other former and current cricketing stars of India and Pakistan, India’s ageing warrior, rolled back the years to crack 100 not out (111b, 7x4), adding 114 in 128 balls for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer (56) at the Dubai International Stadium.
Going past the landmark of 14,000 ODI runs – by reaching there in just his 287th innings, he broke Tendulkar’s record (350 innings) with a trademark cover drive off Haris Rauf.
India, the 2023 World Cup finalists, have now virtually entered the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. Meanwhile, much to their embarrassment and their fans’ disappointment, the crushing defeat to their arch-rivals has almost sent Pakistan, the defending champions and the tournament hosts, packing after they lost their first two matches to New Zealand and India.
Gill ton helps India seal chase against Bangladesh
India have got their Champions Trophy campaign off to a sound start. Another ODI hundred by Shubman Gill (101 not out) and a superb five-wicket haul by veteran pacer Mohammed Shami (5/53 in 10 overs) headlined India’s largely comfortable six-wicket win over Bangladesh in their Group A fixture on Thursday night in Dubai. Chasing 229, India seemed to be in a delicate position at 144/4 in the 31st over before Gill found an able ally in KL Rahul (41 not out. The pair added 87 in 98 balls in an unbeaten partnership for the fifth wicket to take India home.
Ravindra ton powers NZ, India into semis
Rawalpindi : Rachin Ravindra shepherded New Zealand’s chase with a timely century as his team recovered from an early wobble to see off Bangladesh by five wickets and secure its place in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy at Rawalpindi on Monday. Victory for the Black Caps also confirmed India’s slot in the semifinals while eliminating tournament hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh from the mega event. Both India and New Zealand have won their first two matches, including against Pakistan. Before Ravindra’s chancy hundred, all-rounder Michael Bracewell did the star turn with a four-wicket haul as New Zealand restricted Bangladesh to 236 for nine. In reply, New Zealand were off to a disastrous start as they lost the wickets of Will Young and Kane Williamson with just 15 runs on the board. But they rallied to complete the chase in 46.1 overs, with Ravindra making 112 off 105 balls with the help of 12 fours and a six
South Africa script 107-run win over Afghanistan
South Africa opener Ryan Rickelton scored a maiden ODI century with a fluent 103 as his side eased to a 107-run win over Afghanistan in their opening Champions Trophy Group B fixture at the National Stadium in Karachi. South Africa won the toss and elected to bat, amassing 315 for six in their 50 overs on a wicket with pace and bounce that was more akin to their home conditions. Afghanistan’s Rahmat Shah scored a fighting 90 but South Africa’s seamers stifled the run-rate and picked up regular wickets as their opponents battled to stay in the contest and fell well short as they were bowled out for 208 in 43.3 overs.
New Zealand thrash Pak
New Zealand maintained their recent dominance over hosts Pakistan with an emphatic 60-run win in the Champions Trophy opener in Karachi. Will Young compiled an important innings of 107 off 113 balls, while Latham remained unbeaten on 118 off 104 balls to steer the Black Caps to 320 for five after Pakistan put them in to bat. Glenn Phillips’ 39-ball 61 also went a long way in the Kiwis getting past the 300-run mark as New Zealand overcame a shaky start. The Pakistan top-order comprising Babar Azam (64), Mohammed Rizwan (3 off 14) and Saud Shakeel (6 off 19) were a tad too conservative in their approach. That ultimately cost the home team as they were bowled out for 260 in 47.2 overs. Fakhar Zaman (24 off 41) batted at number four after being off the field for a major part of the New Zealand innings due to an injury scare.
