India beats Pakistan by six wickets, set to enter Champions Trophy semifinals
Chasing 242 for victory, Kohli hit a boundary to seal the match with 45 balls to spare and register his 51st ODI ton after an innings which also saw him pass 14,000 runs in one-day international cricket
Dubai: Star batsman Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 100 to lead India to a six-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday and push the title holders to the brink of elimination from the Champions Trophy.
Chasing 242 for victory, Kohli hit a boundary to seal the match with 45 balls to spare and register his 51st ODI ton after an innings which also saw him pass 14,000 runs in one-day international cricket.
Kohli, 36, removed his helmet and raised his bat to the Dubai International Stadium crowd after taking India closer to the semi-finals with two wins in two outings in Group A.
Pakistan have lost both their matches and will need Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to have any chance of staying in contention for a last-four spot.
The top two teams from the two groups will make the semi-finals.
"My job was clear -- to control the middle overs, not take risks against the spinners and take on the pacers," said Kohli.
"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."
Favourites India remained clinical in their chase despite losing skipper Rohit Sharma for 20 off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
In-form Shubman Gill, who made 46 after his century in the opening win over Bangladesh, put on 69 runs with Kohli.
India superstar Kohli started cautiously but reached 14,000 ODI runs with a trademark punch through cover off Haris Rauf.
He is just the third man to break the 14,000-run barrier after India icon Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara (14,234)
Former captain Kohli raised his fifty with a boundary off Naseem Shah to loud cheers from the crowd.
His hundred came in 111 balls, a knock that rolled back the years for the veteran who has 82 centuries across all formats but whose previous ODI ton came in the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final.
