India produced a stunning performance - both with bat and ball - to completely outplay and beat Pakistan by six wickets in their Champions Trophy 2025 encounter in Dubai on Sunday. Pakistan never looked in control of the match and a brilliant century from Virat Kohli meant that India all but booked their spot in the semifinals. It was a disappointing show from the Pakistan side and they were criticised heavily by both experts and fans. In a video going viral on social media, a Pakistan fan was seen switching to the Indian jersey as his side slumped to a heavy defeat. He was initially wearing a Pakistan jersey but as the match headed towards the result, he decided to don the Indian colours.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's majestic ton led the side to massive six-wicket win over Pakistan and also booked their berth for semis in the ICC Champions Trophy. Kohli, who had a wonderful Sunday outing in Dubai, took India over the line with a boundary to score his 51st ODI hundred.
It was also a perfect occasion for Kohli to stamp authority on his famous cover drive during the innings in which he scored seven fours. Off late, the right-hander had been struggling to play a cover drive and was dismissed on multiple occasions in an attempt to play that shot.
Shedding light on his cover drive, Kohli said he backed his shots early to gain confidence in the blockbuster encounter.
"It is a catch 22. It has been my kind of weakness as well over the years but I have scored lot of runs off that shots. I think today was just about backing my shots. I think the first couple of boundaries I got were cover drives on the rise so l really had to just let it go little bit, take a risk and follow through with my shots," Kohli said in a video posted by bcci.tv.
"When I hit those kind of shots, then I feel in control. It was a good innings for me personally. It was great team work," he added.
(With IANS inputs)