Champions Trophy 2025: India vs Pakistan, Match 5 - Who Said What?

India emerged as comprehensive victors over Pakistan in Match 5 of the Champions Trophy 2025. They ended up clinching the game by a commanding six-wicket margin to win their second consecutive match of the tournament. 

Opting to bat first, only two batters for Pakistan truly contributed after the openers were dismissed within the powerplay. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan scored 62 and 46, respectively. Khushdil Shah's mature knock of 38 got Pakistan to a par score of 241. Kuldeep Yadav starred with a three-wicket haul. 

Skipper, Rohit Sharma, was dismissed early into the second innings. But Virat Kohli partnered nicely with Shubman Gill to guide India to a more stable position. Kohli later combined with Shreyas Iyer to forge yet another vital partnership. Although the latter could not stay till the end, Kohli wrapped up the game with a stunning ton.    

Talking Points

1. Kuldeep Yadav's twin strike jolts Pakistan

Kuldeep Yadav was having a quiet sedate game before his seventh over, which provided a couple of wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi departed soon after Salman Agha was dismissed off a leading edge - both of the wickets which portrayed Kuldeep's commendable proficiency in utilising his variations.

2. Shaheen Shah Afridi woes persist with another subdued performance

The tall Pakistani pacer, similar to his recent ODI outings, was quite expensive with the ball. Despite ending up with a couple of wickets, Shaheen conceded 74 runs in the eight overs he bowled. He erred in his line and length a touch too much.     

3. Virat Kohli takes centre stage at last

Kohli made batting look easy on what was not the easiest track to bat on. A superb anchoring knock followed, which comprised seven fours. He ended up getting to his 51st ODI ton in style, while simultaneously concluding the game.  

Also Check: Abrar Ahmed's aggressive send-off after firing perfect carrom ball to end Shubman Gill's stay

Who Said What?

Losing skipper, Mohammad Rizwan 

We won the toss, but we didn't take the benefit of winning the toss. Their bowlers bowled very well. Me and Saud Shakeel, we wanted to take it deep. Poor shot selection. They put us under pressure. Whenever you lose, you didn't perform in all departments. We wanted to squeeze, but we couldn't. Kohli and Gill batted very well and took the game away. We need to improve in our fielding. We did a lot of mistakes in this match.

Winning skipper, Rohit Sharma

The way we started with the ball was superb. We knew it gets slightly better to bat under lights. We backed our experience to get the runs. Credit goes to guys like, Axar, Kuldeep and Jadeja. They stitched a very good partnership - Rizwan and Shakeel. It was important not to let the game drift away. Not to forget the way Hardik, Shami, and Harshit bowled as well. We've played a lot together, this format. It can be quite tricky at times. Axar and Kuldeep stepped up today. (On Kohli) He loves representing the country. He wants to be out there. We've seen it with him over the years. People in the dressing room are not surprised. It (hamstring) is okay at the moment.

Player of the Match, Virat Kohli

To be honest, it feels good to be able to bat in that manner in an important game to seal qualification. Feels good to contribute in a game where we lost Rohit early, had to put in the understanding of what we learnt in the last game. My job was to control the middle overs against the spinners without taking too many risks, towards the end Shreyas accelerated and I got a few boundaries as well. It allowed me to play my usual ODI game. I have a decent understanding of my game, it is about keeping the outside noise away, staying in my space and taking care of my energy levels and thoughts. Very easy to get pulled into the expectations. My job is to stay in the present and do a job for the team. My keynotes to myself are to put my 100% every ball in the field, and then God eventually rewards you. Having clarity is important, it was important to understand that you need to get runs when there is pace on the ball, otherwise the spinners can dictate things. Shubman did well against Shaheen, took him up. There’s a reason he’s the number one batter of the world. It was necessary to get about 60-70 runs in the powerplay, or we’d always be chasing the game. And there Shreyas is really coming into his own at number 4. Did well in India, and now out here as well. (On having a week off) To be honest, at 36, it feels really good. Will put my feet up for a few days as it takes a lot out of me to put that kind of effort into every game.