Pakistan vs India | ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 | Match 5

Right then, what a weekend in the Champions Trophy we have witnessed! We've seen two classic rivalries of world cricket reignited. Last time around, we saw Australia gun down a record total before India didn't make much fuss about a 240-odd chase, both against their arch-rivals. India's win has now propelled them to 4 points and the next game in Group A becomes almost decisive. Next up, Bangladesh take on New Zealand in Rawalpindi on Monday, 24 February. If the Black Caps win, we will get our two semifinalists from Group A but if the Bangla Tigers get the win, things will get very interesting. That game will begin at 9 am GMT (2.30 pm IST) but as usual, you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Till then, take care and goodbye!

The Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma says that he is happy with the way they started with the ball and it was a superb effort to restrict Pakistan to 241. Mentions that they had the experience to chase down the total. Lauds Axar, Kuldeep and Jadeja for the way they bowled in the middle phase. Adds that all three of them know what is required of them. States that it was a collective effort with the ball with the pacers also coming to the party. Shares that they have played a lot of cricket together and every individual knows his job. Feels that having 6 bowling options can be tricky but it is about knowing who is difficult for the batters to score off on the day.  Says that Virat Kohli loves representing the country and he did what he does best. When asked about his hamstring, Rohit replies that he is doing okay at the moment.

The captain of Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan says they didn't take benefit of winning the toss. Says their aim was to get past 270 but appreciates the Indian bowlers for bowling very well in the middle overs and chipping in with crucial wickets. Mentions that with him and Saud Shakeel settled well, they aimed to take the game deep and bat till the end. But accepts that their shot selection was not up to the mark and rues for this being the reason for them getting limited to 240. Appreciates Abrar Ahmed for bowling decently and for giving them a crucial wicket of Gill. He mentions improving in the fielding department is important. Also accepts that they made a lot of mistakes and is hopeful to work on them in the next game.

Virat Kohli is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his match-winning ton. Mentions that it feels good to be able to bat in that manner in a crucial game and contribute to the team's cause. Tells that his job was pretty clear and he had to be there to stitch a partnership after the kind of start they got. Adds that his job was to take the pacers on and keep turning the strike over against the spinners. Shares that he is happy with the template of his innings. States that he has a decent understanding of his game over the years. Says that it is important for him to keep the outside noise and distractions away and focus on the job at hand. Reckons that in ODI cricket, clarity is very important and you should play your shots against the pacers or else the spinners will come and mount more pressure on you. Appreciates Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill for the way they have been batting at the top of the order and setting a platform for the middle order. When asked if a week off is a good or bad thing, he jokingly says that for him at the age of 36, it is a good thing and these conditions take a lot out of him.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, Mohammad Rizwan didn't have much hesitation in batting first and it seemed like even Rohit Sharma would have chosen the same. Pakistan began in a much better fashion than their previous game but lost both their openers in a jiffy inside the Powerplay. Mohammad Rizwan had to rebuild the innings along with Saud Shakeel but the duo took a fair bit of time to get going. Shakeel did look in fine touch and Rizwan also managed to capitalize later on but again, they lost both set batters which ended up hurting them quite a bit and they hobbled their way to 241 runs. For India, Hardik Pandya was the pick of the seamers but the others bowled really well and Kuldeep Yadav was able to rip through the middle order at the right moment for his side.

Things got a bit dramatic towards the end of the chase as Iyer departed after his 50 and Hardik Pandya came in and went back quickly. India had the job done but one thing was still remaining. Kohli broke quite a few records in this game as he not only went past 14,000 ODI runs but then became the third-highest ever run-getter in men's international cricket behind the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara and to top it all off, he hit the winning runs and brought up ODI ton number 51.

Pakistan had to attack from the get-go as they didn't have too many runs on the board and it was Shaheen Afridi who went searching for the wickets. However, he was a bit too full and put away for boundaries before coming back strongly and getting rid of the Indian skipper. Apart from that, the pacers didn't conjure up many opportunities and it was the leg spinner, Abrar Ahmed who bowled a lovely spell and probably bowled the ball of the tournament thus far, knocking over Gill. The pacers though were certainly off color, especially Shaheen even after picking up a couple of wickets whereas Haris Rauf bowled decently and Khushdil Shah got a wicket as well.

242 wasn't a big score to chase down but India did hobble a bit last time around chasing just under 230 against Bangladesh. However, the surface in this game held together well and wasn't nearly as slow as that one. Rohit Sharma yet again provided a quick start but soon perished after which Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli stitched together a solid stand. Gill failed to reach yet another half-century as he was undone by a ripper of a delivery. Kohli though took on the mantle and kept the tempo up. He had Shreyas Iyer for company but he started slow. They did manage to get through a phase of some tight bowling and then both batters just went after the bowlers.