In a thrilling Champions Trophy 2025 match, Indian batter Virat Kohli showcased his prowess against Pakistan by scoring an unbeaten century, leading India to a six-wicket victory while chasing 242 runs. Kohli’s 51st ODI ton came off 111 balls, completed with a boundary in the 43rd over. Despite criticism directed at Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi for bowling wides to disrupt Kohli’s milestone, the Indian star managed to secure his hundred, earning praise from fans and celebrities like Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal. Kohli expressed satisfaction in contributing to the team’s success and will next face New Zealand on March 2.
Virat Kohli, the star batter of India, consistently showcases his fervor and determination for runs, particularly when faced with their fierce rivals, Pakistan. This narrative unfolded once again on Sunday during the Champions Trophy 2025, Group A match in Dubai. In pursuit of a target of 242, Kohli displayed exceptional form, securing an unbeaten century off 111 balls, leading India to triumph by six wickets. This marked Kohli’s 51st ODI century and his 82nd international ton.
Kohli reached his century with a boundary on the third delivery of the 43rd over, bowled by Khushdil Shah, which also served as the winning runs for India. However, during India’s chase in the 42nd over, an incident involving Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi drew significant backlash from the fans.
As Shaheen began the 42nd over, India required 17 runs for victory while Kohli needed 13 runs to finalize his century. The over kicked off with Axar Patel, who quickly grabbed a single to give Kohli the strike.
On the second ball, Kohli managed a single, but then Shaheen delivered three wides in succession. These extra deliveries reduced the requirement to five runs for India’s victory, leaving Kohli at 94. The audience in the stadium responded with boos directed at Shaheen for seemingly trying to prevent Kohli from achieving his well-deserved century.
Numerous fans, including Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal, took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize the Pakistani pacer for his unsportsmanlike conduct.
What a fantastic knock! @imVkohli Absolutely surreal to snatch the 51st century from the jaws of Shaheen Afridi’s wide balls!!!
— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) February 23, 2025
SHAHEEN AFRIDI BOWLING WIDES.
– Dubai crowd chanting ‘loser, loser’. pic.twitter.com/PcWfVj9Haw
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 23, 2025
Shaheen Shah Afridi displaying the worst sportsmanship by intentionally bowling wides to prevent Virat from scoring a match-winning hundred.
— Udit (@Merovaeous) February 23, 2025
Shaheen Shah Afridi is playing Hardik Pandya’s role, he won’t let Kohli score a century…
— पहाड़ी_𝕸𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖆𝖑𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖆𝖓 (@pahadi_mando) February 23, 2025
Nevertheless, fate had other plans for Kohli as he faced Khushdil Shah in the following over and completed his century with a boundary.
“Honestly, it feels good to bat like that in a crucial game to secure qualification. I feel great contributing in a match where we lost Rohit early and had to apply the lessons learned from the last game. My task was to manage the middle overs against the spinners without taking excessive risks. In the end, Shreyas accelerated, and I hit a few boundaries as well, allowing me to play my usual ODI game,” Virat expressed during the post-match presentation.
India’s next challenge will be against New Zealand in their final group stage match of the Champions Trophy 2025 on March 2 in Dubai.
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