India beat Pakistan by six wickets in Champions Trophy – as it ...

Virat Kohli completed his 51st one-day international century with the winning runs as India beat Pakistan by six wickets in their Champions Trophy match in Dubai.

Electing to bat first, Pakistan made 241 before being all out with two deliveries left in their stop-start innings. Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46) scored the bulk of the runs for Pakistan while spinner Kuldeep Yadav claimed 3-40.

Kohli anchored a tricky chase with his unbeaten 100, completed with a cover drive that saw India reach their target. Shreyas Iyer added 56 as India registered their second successive victory in Group A of the tournament with 7.3 overs to spare. Reuters

That’s it from us today. Thanks for joining Tanya and meself. A report will be along off the wires soon and we’ll be back for more Champions Trophy OBO action throughout the coming week. Goodbye!

India sit pretty at the top of Group A with two wins from two and a net run rate of +0.647. Barring some mathematical catastrophe they will be in the semi finals and also have a week off to rest up before their final fixture against New Zealand a week today. Equally, Pakistan are all but eliminated from the tournament they are ‘hosting’ (cough, nothing to see here at all, cough) barring a complicated series of scenarios unfolding that frankly, I can’t even begin to get my noodle around.

The Captains speak:

Rohit Sharma:

We started superbly with the ball and we knew the wicket could get slower but backed our experienced batters to go out there and get 240. Credit goes to Kuldeep, Axar and Jadeja who have played a lot. Rizwan and Saud stitched a good stand together and it was important not to let the game drift.

Not to forget how Shami, Hardik, Harshit bowled as well. It was a good performance from the entire unit. The boys understand what kind of job is required from them. It’s tricky at times because not everyone will get a bowl. I try to figure out who’s creating the most problems to the batters and make decisions.

Virat loves representing the country and doing what he does best, which is what he did today. People sitting inside the dressing room aren’t surprised with what he did.”

Mohammad Rizwan:

We won the toss but didn’t make the most of it. We wanted to get 280 but their bowlers did really well in the middle overs. When Saud and I were batting, we wanted to go deep but our shot selection was bad and we lost wickets, which is why we were kept to 240. Abrar gave us the wicket but Kohli and Gill took the game far from us. We must improve our fielding. We made a lot of mistakes in this match and we hope to work on them going forward.”

Here is the man of the hour – Virat Kohli is player of the match:

It feels good to bat in that manner in an important game, where a spot for semis was there to be taken. After Rohit fell my job was clear - to control the middle overs, not take risks against spinners and take on the pacers. I was happy with the template, it’s how I play in ODIs. I have a decent understanding of my game, it’s about keeping the outside noise away, take care of my energy levels and thoughts.

It’s easy for me to get pulled into expectations and frenzy around games like these. I kept telling myself I’ll give 100% while fielding. It’s why I take pride in it. When you put your head down and go about your work, things work out.

Clarity is important, when there is pace on the ball you have to get scoring. Shubman and Shreyas have been excellent. Everyone’s got a decent knock in these conditions, that’ll augur well in the coming matches. At 36, a week off is very good! It takes a lot out of me to put in that much effort.”

Scenes. Of course Kohli gets a century. Of course he does. A drive through the covers gets him there and India over the line. King Kohli removes his crown helmet and gestures for everyone to calm down.

51 ODI centuries for Virat, bragging rights and seamless Champions Trophy progression for India.

42nd over: India 238-4 (Kohli 95, Axar 2 ) Shaheen well and truly loses his radar with three wides given away. Kohli pulls for two to go to 90… Shaheen is called for another wide, too short! Nine needed for India and ten needed for Kohli. Chicanery from Shaheen to deny Kohli his ton? Surely not… A lash down the ground takes Kohli to 92 and a flick off a full toss takes him to 94… India need five to win. He couldn’t could he? Yikes! A quick single off the last ball nearly sees Kohli run out but the throw misses! He would have been long gone. As it is he keeps the strike for the next over. India need four to win and Kohli needs five for a century.

41st over: India 225-4 (Kohli 87, Axar 1 )Pakistan review for an LBW against Kohli but there’s nowt doing as the big man got a big hunk of bat on it. Axar Patel is the new batter. India need 17 runs to win.

Hardik spanks Shaheen back over his head for four! Kohli smiles widely at the non-strikers end, he doesn’t seem perturbed by his new partner smiting the runs he needs to get a century. “Kohli, Kohli” the crowd chants as Hardik takes a single to mid off. Loud cheers as Kohli pinches strike back with one ball left in the over.

Gone! Hardik departs after getting a tickle on a leg side swipe to a Shaheen short ball.

40th over: India 215-3 (Kohli 85) India need 19 to win. Virat Kohli needs 14 for a century.

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39th over: India 215-3 (Kohli 85, Pandya 1) Hardik Pandya is promoted as India look for a quick kill. He tips and runs a single off the final ball of the over to pinch strike from his hundred hunting senior partner. Read the room, Hardik!

Khushdil into his seventh over. Kohli misses a flick off his pads but the appeal is short lived as the ball was clearly heading down past the leg stump. Kohli takes a single and Shreyas Iyer clubs down the ground for four!

GONE! Shreyas has to drag himself off as he is well caught by Imam who puts in the dive at short cover. The crowd go momentarily quiet. Fair to say that was against the run of play y’know.

38th over: India 209-2 (Kohli 84, Iyer 52) Haris Rauf worked for eight runs with no fuss whatsoever. All eyes on Virat and his quest for three figures.

37th over: India 201-2 (Kohli 81, Iyer 50) Abrar Ahmed skips through his final over, he finishes with 1-28 from his ten overs which is a top effort but he would have dearly loved that wicket column to be more bulging. Shreyas Iyer goes to fifty with a drive down to long on. Pakistan are drooped and desperate.

36th over: India 200-2 (Kohli 81, Iyer 49) The two hundred comes up for India and Virat Kohli marches towards what would be his 51st ODI century. India need 42 runs… Kohli needs to get nineteen of them.

35th over: India 189-2 (Kohli 71, Iyer 48) Abrar Ahmed with his ninth over, he’s been the one bright spot for Pakistan. The ball to get rid of Gill will provide a sliver of succour. Kohli and Iyer are content to work what they can without risk, four singles taken. India need 53 runs in 90 balls. Time for a drink and a rummage into the abyss for Pakistan.

34th over: India 185-2 (Kohli 69, Iyer 46) Naseem Shah goes to some short stuff to try and summon a wicket but there’s still six runs off the over as Iyer pulls for two off the final ball. He’s approaching a half century of his own in this cakewalk run chase.

33rd over: India 179-2 (Kohli 67, Iyer 43) Singles coming easily for India, all very flat out there for the team in green. Pakistan are starring down the barrel of aqn early Champions Trophy bath.

Those spills will cost Pakistan dearly. Do they not know catches win matches? Ahem.

32nd over: India 175-2 (Kohli 65, Iyer 41) Shreyas Iyer carves Khushdil for four off the first ball of the over to lump the pressure well and truly onto the bowler. Only three more added after but that is seven off the over and India are cantering towards their target.

31st over: India 168-2 (Kohli 65, Iyer 34) SIX! More spin from Salman Agha and Shreyas greets him with a gigantic swipe over the leg side and into the crowd. This could all be over quite quickly. The tv coverage clocks the six at 102 metres. India need 74 from 19 overs.

30th over: India 160-2 (Kohli 64, Iyer 27) Shreyas Iyer has been subdued… until now! He reverse paddles powerfully for four and then goes back to back with an orthodox sweep for four more. DROP! Shakeel spills Shreyas Iyer at midwicket! It was above his head but he got two hands to it as he leapt and the replay shows it was pretty regulation. Rizwan looks murderous under his zinc smears.

29th over: India 150-2 (Kohli 64, Iyer 17) Kohli whips Shaheen down the ground with a flamingo flourish of the back leg. Plenty of ego in that shot and India’s target is now less than a hundred away. Ten runs in total off the over as Kohli whips, tucks and scampers. He’s been at his imperious best so far today.

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28th over: India 140-2 (Kohli 55, Iyer 16) Another tidy over but sans breakthrough from Khushdil. Four singles off it. Shaheen is coming back on with Pakistan increasingly desperate to find a wicket.

27th over: India 136-2 (Kohli 53, Iyer 14) Shot! Kohli breaks the shackles by clubbing Naseem Shah over the covers for a dismissive four off the first ball of the over. That’s fifty up for Virat off 62 balls. India win if he bats another ten overs. Four more singles makes it eight from the over.

26th over: India 128-2 (Kohli 47, Iyer 12) India have scored just 17 runs off the last five overs as Pakistan try to squeeze a wicket from the toothpaste tube. Khushdil returns to the attack and the left-armer keeps the pressure on with just two singles added.

25th over: India 126-2 (Kohli 46, Iyer 11) Naseem Shah is impressive on his return, just a single to Kohli who drives wide of point and scampers through to keep strike.

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24th over: India 124-2 (Kohli 45, Iyer 10) Another miserly over from Abrar, just a Kohli single nudged down the ground. Pakistan are bringing back Naseem for another burst. They need wickets, India have 26 overs to get 118 runs.

23rd over: India 123-2 (Kohli 44, Iyer 10) Shreyas Iyer hangs back and slaps a Haris Rauf short ball for four through square leg.

22nd over: India 118-2 (Kohli 43, Iyer 6) Abrar Ahmed continues to impress with a warp speed over that costs just three runs. He has 1-18 from his six overs so far. Tidy.

21st over: India 115-2 (Kohli 41, Iyer 5) Haris Rauf bangs one in short to Kohli who swivels with his leg in the air like a Tiller Girl to pick up four.

20th over: India 109-2 (Kohli 36, Iyer 4) Abrar Ahmed is impressive again, finding some grip off the surface and landing the ball on a handkerchief. Just two singles off it.

19th over: India 107-2 (Kohli 35, Iyer 3) Haris Rauf returns and gets some sharp nip back off the surface that Shreyas Iyey does well to get bat on and squirt inoit the leg side. Things starting to happen for Pakistan, now is the time for them has to be.

18th over: India 102-2 (Kohli 32, Iyer 1) Shreyas Iyer is the new batter. He clips a watchful single to get off the mark. Abrar’s golden ball came out of the front of the hand too. The mind boggles.

An absolute peach! What a ball from Abrar Ahmed to see the back of Shubman Gill. The batter can only stand rooted to the spot in disbelief as a ball that pitches outside leg stump spins sharply to nudge the off bail out of its groove. Play that! Pakistan strike just after drinks.

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