Virat Kohli, 'Greatest Chase-Master', hits century! Love, praise pour in; Anushka Sharma, Rahul Gandhi react

In the India Vs Pakistan match on Sunday, Virat Kohli singlehandedly proved to be a hurdle that Pakistan couldn't overcome. Kohli continued to live up to his reputation of 'Chase Master' as he hit an unbeaten 100, helping India claim an authoritative six-wicket win over their arch-rival in Dubai on Sunday.

India superstar Virat Kohli also completed 14,000 ODI runs while steering India to a memorable victory over India's bitter rival. He created history as he became the quickest batter to score 14,000 runs in One-Day Internationals during the Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan. Virat Kohli joined Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara in the 14,000 ODI runs club.

With Sunday's win, India inched closer to the semifinal spot in the Champions Trophy. Pakistan are staring at early elimination from the eight-team event after their second successive loss. India completed the chase in 42.3 overs, thanks to Virat Kohli (100 not out off 111), Shubman Gill (46 off 52) and Shreyas Iyer (56 off 67).

Love and praise pout in for ‘King’ Kohli

Actor Anushka was all hearts for he husband Virat Kohli after the match. She took to her Instagram story to praise Virat with a heart emoji. She posted a picture of Virat Kohli posing with a thumbs up.

Virat Kohli's sister Bhawana Kohli also lauded the batting icon in an Instagram post. She wrote, “When you put a brave face and put your best to show why you hold the respect that you always held. Greatness with humility. God bless you Superproud.”

Politicians Join In The Praise for Virat Kohli

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah commended the "electrifying performance" by Team India. "You have made everyone proud by living up to the expectations of millions of cricket fans around the world. All my best wishes for your future matches," Shah posted on X.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi celebrated the "glorious win". He said, “Epic triumph for Team India! A masterclass in teamwork and resilience, with Kohli’s century leading the charge.”

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, "Over the last 15 years, I have often rooted for Virat Kohli to get a century. Rarely has he deserved one more than today and rarely have I been as emotionally invested in watching him score it! Congrats, @imViratKohli!"

"The Greatest Chase-Master," Netflix India rejoiced while posting Virat Kohli's picture on its official X handle.

‘Sensational’ Virat Kohli Gets Congratulations from Bollywood

Bollywood veteran lyricist, scriptwriter and poet Javed Akhtar took to social media platform X (Twitter), to congratulate Kohli saying: “Virat Kohli , zindabad. !!! . We all are so so so proud of you !!!” (sic) 

Actor Cheeranjeevi also declared Kohli “sensational”, he wrote: “Hurrahhhhhh!!! India spectacularly triumphs over Pakistan!!! What a match!!!! It’s been Absolutely Electrifying watching this super thrilling match Live with some dear friends!!! Kudos to the Entire Team!!! Such a treat to watch the Fireworks from the SENSATIONAL @imVkohli Bravo @ShreyasIyer15 @shubmangill @imkuldeep18 & Captain @ImRo45 and the whole team !! More power to India!!! Jai Hind!!!” (sic)

India beats Pakistan in ICC Championship Trophy match

Mass celebrations took place in parts of India as the country beat arch-rival Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy match held in Dubai on Sunday, February 23. "It was a good match...Virat Kohli made a century...We are very happy...," a fan said.

An architect of countless successful chases, Kohli made 100 not out as India overwhelmed the 242-run target with 7.3 overs to spare to register their second successive victory of the tournament.

Electing to bat, Pakistan made 241 before being all out with two deliveries left in their stop-start innings with Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46) scoring the bulk of the runs.

"I think the way we started with the ball was superb," India captain Rohit Sharma said. “To restrict them to that kind of score was a great effort from the bowling unit. We knew it would get slightly better to bat under lights…,” he added.

Kohli's recent form has been under scrutiny, prompting even speculation about retirement. While he scored a notable century in Perth in the Border-Gavaskar trophy, his performances in subsequent matches, like Melbourne and Sydney, have been modest, with scores of 7, 36, and 17, reflecting ongoing challenges against the moving ball outside off-stump.

Pakistan's title defence hangs by a thread following their second successive defeat in the tournament and their theoretical chances of making the last four will depend on other results.

 

(With inputs from agencies)