IND vs PAK, Champions Trophy: Babar's form to Kohli's century - 5 key takeaways from India's win in clash

Team India’s brilliant campaign in the Champions Trophy 2025 as they registered a six–wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the high-stakes clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, February 23. India won their opening match of the tournament by six wickets against Bangladesh. 

With a target of 242-run target set by Pakistan, Team India chased it down in 42.3 overs, thanks to Virat Kohli’s match-winning century in 111 balls. Kohli formed a crucial 114-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 56 off 76 balls, for the third to lift India from 100/2 to 214/3. Shubman Gill continued his good form as he played an innings of 46 off 52 balls. 

As India almost sealed their spot in the semifinal with a second successive win in the Champions Trophy 2025, let’s take a look at five key takeaways from the Men in Blue’s victory against Pakistan. 

5 key takeaways from the Champions Trophy 2025 clash between India and Pakistan 

1. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan’s resilient partnership 

Saud Shakeel and skipper Mohammad Rizwan stepped up for Pakistan when they were needed after the side opted to bat first in the clash against India. Pakistan were at 47/2 after Babar Azam (23) and Imam-ul-Haq’s dismissal, and Shakeel and Rizwan built a solid partnership to steady the innings. The pair formed a 104-run partnership for the third wicket to lift the team from 47/2 to 151/2. Mohammad Rizwan contributed with an innings 46 off 77 balls, while Saud Shakeel played a knock of 62 off 76 balls. Their partnership paid off as Pakistan posted 241 in 49.4 overs, thanks to vital contributions from Khushdil Shah and Naseem Shah, who scored 38 and 14, respectively.

2. Kuldeep Yadav impact with the ball

After going wicketless in India’s opening match of the tournament against Bangladesh, Kuldeep Yadav turned his game around and significantly contributed to India’s bowling against Pakistan. Kuldeep picked the wickets of Salman Agha, Shaheeen Afridi, and Naseem Shah to register figures 3/40 at an economy rate of 4.40 in 9 overs, The leg spinner played a pivotal role alongside Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel to put a brake on Pakistan’s momentum to ensure that India had restricted the opponent below 250. During his three-wicket haul, Kuldeep has completed 300 wickets in his international cricket, becoming the fifth Indian spinner after Anil Kumble (953), Ravichandran Ashwin (765), Harbhajan Singh (707) and Ravindra Jadeja (604) to achieve this milestone.

Also read: IND vs PAK, Champions Trophy: Abrar Ahmed gives cheeky send-off to Shubman Gill after dismissing him (WATCH)

3. Babar Azam’s sorry form continues 

Babar Azam’s struggle with his form continued as he was dismissed for 23 off 26 balls by Hardik Pandya after providing a good start to Pakistan’s innings. Pakistan star batter’s form was under heavy scrutiny following his 90-ball 64 against New Zealand while chasing a 321-run target in the Champions Trophy 2025 opener. Babar Azam’s slow knock was heavily criticized as it put pressure on the rest of the batting lineup, eventually contributing Pakistan falling 61-run short of the target. Pakistan management expected Babar Azam to come up with a good performance against India, but his struggles continued as he failed to convert his starts into big scores, further raising concerns about his form in crucial matches.

4. Virat Kohli's match-winning century 

After 22-run innings in India’s opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh, Virat Kohli made his sensational return to his form in the match against Pakistan. The star batter played an unbeaten match-winning innings of 100 off 107 balls, including seven fours. Kohli was batting on 96 when India needed just two runs to win the match and he hit a four through a wide cover off Khushdil Shah’s delivery in the 43rd over not only to complete his 51st ODI century but also to take the team past the finishing line. During his 100-run knock, Virat Kohli completed his 14,000-run milestone in ODI cricket, joining legendary cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara in the elusive list. He is also the fastest batter to reach the landmark, achieving the feat in 287 innings.

Also read: IND vs PAK, Champions Trophy: Virat Kohli says 'told you to relax' after sealing win with 51st ODI ton (WATCH)

5. Shaheen Afridi struggle with the ball

Though Shaheen Afridi picked two wickets, Pakistan pacer spearhead clearly lacked impact with the bat as he struggled to contain India’s contain line-up. Afridi conceded 74 runs at an economy rate of 9.2 overs in 8 overs, In Pakistan’s opening match against New Zealand, the 24-year-old went wicketless while conceding 68 runs in 10 overs spell. Shaheen Afridi was struggling to fetch the ball at right line and length as Shubman Gill took on him, smashing him for five fours across two overs. In the 9th over, Gill smashed Afridi for 14 runs. Shaheen Afridi  dismissed Rohit Sharma early in India’s run-chase with a brilliant yorker, but he was unable to sustain pressure on the Indian batters. Pakistan needed their ace pacer to deliver breakthroughs at crucial situations, but his inconsistency with right line and length made it easier for India to chase down the target.