——– India beat Pakistan by 6 wickets, after chasing 242 in 42.3 overs
——– India go top of Group A in the ICC Champions Trophy
From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: India clinched a dominant six-wicket win over Pakistan, chasing down 242 in 42.3 overs. With this result, India has gone on top of Group A in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Virat Kohli anchored the chase with a composed 100* off 111 balls, guiding India to victory. This was his 4th ODI 100 against Pakistan.
Shaheen Afridi (2/74) and Khushdil Shah (1/43) tried to break through, but India’s batters remained in control. Shaheen Afridi struck late, dismissing Hardik Pandya for 8. Earlier, Shreyas Iyer also departed after a well-made 56 off 67, falling to Khushdil Shah after a well-taken catch by Imam-ul-Haq.
The duo had added 103 runs for the third wicket, dismantling Pakistan’s hopes of a breakthrough. Pakistan’s bowlers have struggled to make an impact. Haris Rauf has been expensive, conceding 46 runs in six overs, while Abrar Ahmed has been economical, finishing his spell with figures of 10-0-28-1.
However, with India’s required run rate down to just 3.00, the game is firmly in their control. With a required run rate of under 4, India remain in control.
Earlier, Shubman Gill fell for 46 (52) to Abrar Ahmed after a beautiful delivery. Virat Kohli (30 off 37) and Shubman Gill (46 off 50) had built a solid 68-run partnership for the second wicket, keeping the required run rate under control.
Kohli made history by becoming the fastest batter in ODI history to reach 14,000 runs. Pakistan had introduced spin with Khushdil Shah (2-0-8-0) and Abrar Ahmed (3-0-10-0), but they are yet to trouble the batters. With India in command and wickets in hand, Pakistan will need breakthroughs soon to turn the game around.
Crucially, Gill was dropped on 35 by Khushdil Shah off of a Haris Rauf delivery. Rohit Sharma’s dismissal came earlier in the innings, with Shaheen Shah Afridi taking his wicket.
With the required run rate below 5, India remains in control of the chase, but Pakistan will look to break this partnership quickly to put pressure on the middle order.
Shaheen Shah Afridi gave Pakistan a crucial breakthrough, dismissing Rohit Sharma for 20 off 15 balls on the last ball of the fifth over.
Rohit had looked aggressive, hitting a six and a four before being bowled out by Afridi.
Shubman Gill remains at the crease on 10 off 15 balls. Naseem Shah (2-0-16-0) has been expensive, while Shaheen (3-0-15-1) has provided the early breakthrough.
India will chase 242 in 50 overs to win against Pakistan and go top of Group A in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Pakistan was bowled out for 241 in 49.4 overs, as Khushdil Shah fell. Earlier in the innings, Pakistan struggled to maintain momentum after a solid foundation, losing wickets regularly in the final overs.
At the 27-over mark, Pakistan was 128/2, with Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan rebuilding the innings. Shakeel brought up his 4th ODI half-century.
From 151/3, Pakistan lost wickets in clusters. Rizwan, who anchored the innings, fell for 46 in the 34th over, while Tayyab Tahir and Salman Agha departed soon after.
At 200/6 in the 43rd over, Pakistan looked set for a below-par total. Khushdil Shah added a valuable 38 off 39 balls, striking two sixes before falling in the final over. Kuldeep Yadav (3/40) and Hardik Pandya (2/31) were the pick of the bowlers, with Axar Patel, Jadeja, and Harshit Rana chipping in.
Earlier, Yadav had dismissed Naseem Shah (14), as India tightened their grip on the innings.
Salman Agha (19 off 24) was caught by Jadeja off Kuldeep Yadav, followed immediately by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who fell lbw for a golden duck on the very next delivery.
Pakistan has lost their wickets in quick succession, with Tayyab Tahir (4) bowled out earlier by Ravindra Jadeja.
This follows the dismissals of Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46), putting pressure on the lower order in the final 14 overs of the innings.
Rizwan was bowled by Axar Patel, while Shakeel fell to Hardik Pandya after a well-compiled half-century.
Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan had brought up a 104-run partnership as Pakistan stabilized the innings. Crucially, Rizwan was dropped at 44 off of a Hardik Pandya delivery. With wickets in hand, Pakistan will aim to push towards a total of 270+ in the final 19 overs.
Pakistan have reached 116/2 at the 27-over mark after opting to bat against India.
Saud Shakeel (38* off 52) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (32* off 58) have steadied the innings after early setbacks.
Babar Azam (23 off 26) looked fluent but edged behind off Hardik Pandya, while Imam-ul-Haq (10) was run out, leaving Pakistan at 47/2 in 9.2 overs.
India’s bowlers have kept things tight, not allowing Pakistan to accelerate freely. Hardik Pandya (6-0-18-1) was the standout, removing Babar and keeping things economical.
Mohammed Shami (5-0-18-0) and Harshit Rana (5-0-19-0) bowled with good control, while the spinners—Kuldeep Yadav (5-0-23-0) and Ravindra Jadeja (3-0-18-0)—have ensured that boundaries remain hard to come by.
Extras have contributed significantly to Pakistan’s total, with eight wides already bowled.
With 23 overs remaining, Pakistan will look to shift gears in the upcoming phase. They have a solid platform but will need a significant acceleration to post a competitive total.
Tayyab Tahir, Agha Salman, and Khushdil Shah are yet to bat, and the lower order also includes Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, who have played valuable cameos in the past.
India, on the other hand, will aim for quick wickets to put further pressure on Pakistan and prevent them from reaching a strong total. If Pakistan can reach the forecasted 250-260 range, it could be a competitive score given the nature of the surface.
However, they will need to increase their run rate significantly in the next 10 overs to achieve that.
India’s spinners, Ravindra Jadeja (2.1 overs, 13 runs) and Kuldeep Yadav (5 overs, 23 runs), have struggled to make a breakthrough but have kept Pakistan’s momentum in check. Imam-ul-Haq was run out for 10, and Babar Azam was dismissed for 23, caught behind off Hardik Pandya.
Pakistan had made a steady start after electing to bat, but Pandya’s strike has halted their momentum.
Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq made a steady start after 7 overs.
The Indian bowlers have maintained tight lines, with Harshit Rana returning figures of 3-0-13-0 and Hardik Pandya conceding five runs in his first over.
The run rate stands at 4.42, with Pakistan scoring 21 runs in the last five overs. Pakistan has reached 22/0 by the end of 4 overs in their match against India.
Shami and Harshit Rana kept a tight line, with Shami conceding five wides but maintaining pressure.
Mohammad Shami bowled the opening overs for India, challenging Imam-ul-Haq with short deliveries and sharp angles, along with a few wide balls.
Shami conceded five extras in the form of wides. Imam, along with Babar Azam, seemed to be taking a cautious approach at the crease.
Pakistan captain Muhammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bat first in their must-win Champions Trophy blockbuster match against rivals India.
