India National Cricket Team batting great Virat Kohli once again showed the cricketing world why he is the undisputed ‘king’ of world cricket with his brilliant performance against Pakistan National Cricket Team on Sunday, February 23.
Virat Kohli smashed a sensational ton against his favorite opposition, Pakistan, and steered India to an epic 6-wicket win in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Virat Kohli creates history with his performance against Pakistan
Kohli was not at his very best heading into the match against the Pakistan National Cricket Team, but he once again stepped on the big stage and played a match-winning knock for India.
He played cautiously at the start, but once he got set, he made sure to punish the bowlers. Kohli batted deep and stayed in the middle till the very end and took India home.
On the 3rd ball of the 43rd over, Virat Kohli hit a four to Khushdil Shah to complete his century and finish off the match in style. After completing his hundred, Virat Kohli looked absolutely delighted.
He emulated Suryakumar Yadav’s classic celebration and was seen saying, ‘I told you I’m here’. Kohli hugged his batting partner Axar Patel and soaked all the applause from the crowd. He was also seen kissing his wedding ring multiple times to celebrate the milestone.
Watch- “I told you I’m here” – Virat Kohli celebrates 51st ODI ton in style
— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) February 23, 2025
82nd INTERNATIONAL HUNDRED FOR KING KOHLI 🇮🇳
– The Greatest ever in ODIs. pic.twitter.com/IPy6JpTse4
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 23, 2025
Notably, it was Kohli’s 51st ton in the history of ODI cricket, which is the most by any batter. During his innings, he also went past the 14000-run mark in ODIs and became the fastest to achieve the milestone.
Kohli also became the first batter to score a century against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, World Cup, and Champions Trophy.
183 (148) – 2012 Asia Cup
107 (126) – 2015 World Cup
122* (94) – 2023 Asia Cup
100* (111) – 2025 Champions Trophy
Player of the Match awards for Kohli vs Pakistan in ICC tournaments:
78*(61) Colombo RPS World T20 2012
107(126) Adelaide ODI World Cup 2015
55*(37) Kolkata World T20 2016
82*(53) Melbourne T20 World Cup 2022
100*(111) Dubai Champions Trophy 2025
How was India’s performance in their previous ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match
Rohit Sharma’s team started off their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a good six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Dubai.
Bangladesh opted to bat on a slow pitch and ended up with 228/10 on the board with Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali playing brilliant knocks to rescue their team from 35/5.
For India, Mohammed Shami had sensational bowling figures of 5/53 and became the fastest to 200 ODI wickets in terms of balls bowled. Harshit Rana (3/31) and Axar Patel (2/43) also chipped in well.
Chasing the target, Shubman Gill showcased a batting brilliance and with his innings of 101* runs, helped India cross the finish line despite some mid-innings hiccups.
The foundation was laid by a brisk 69-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma (41 off 36) and Gill, but India lost some quick wickets as the track got challenging to score.
Virat Kohli (22), Shreyas Iyer (15), and Axar Patel (8) all departed without scoring big, but Gill showed composure and alongside KL Rahul, who was dropped by Jaker Ali, steered Indiato a great 6-wicket victory.
