Champions Trophy 2025: Virat Kohli breaks Rahul Dravid's record of most catches by an Indian outfielder

Virat Kohli has several batting records to his name but on Tuesday, March 4, he achieved a major milestone with his fielding during the first innings of the semi-final clash in the 2025 Champions Trophy between India and Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Kohli achieved a significant feat when he took the catch of Josh Inglis in the 27th over. It was one of the simplest of catches the former India skipper has taken in his career. The Australian wicketkeeper-batter looked to punch Ravindra Jadeja off the back foot but found Kohli at cover. The soft dismissal gave India their fourth wicket on the day.

However, it was an extra special occasion for Kohli as he went past former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid's record (334) of most catches by an Indian outfielder in international cricket across formats. Kohli achieved this feat in his 549th international appearance.

The catch also helped Kohli overtake former Australia captain Ricky Ponting (160) for the second-most catches by an outfielder in ODIs. Kohli is now only behind Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardena, who finished his illustrious career with 218 catches.

Australia bowled out for 264, Mohammed Shami bags three-for

Travis Head gave Australia a blistering start after Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat first on Tuesday. Head took his time to understand the conditions while his new opening partner Cooper Connolly was dismissed for a duck.

Smith and Head stitched a 50-run partnership before the latter departed for a 33-ball 39. Smith and Marnus Labuschagne batted well, as they looked to set up a solid platform for Australia. The latter, however, couldn't convert his start into a big score, being dismissed by Jadeja for 29.

Also Check: WATCH - Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli fume at Kuldeep Yadav over fielding lapse

Inglis fell for 11 before Smith and Carey joined forces. They added 54 runs off 58 deliveries to bring Australia in a fine position. However, Smith and Glenn Maxwell were dismissed in consecutive overs as India wrestled the momentum back in their favour.

Smith scored a patient 73 off 96 balls. However, Carey was the best batter on show for the Aussies as he slammed 61 off 57 balls on a tricky surface. Australia were eventually bowled out for 264 in 49.3 overs as Mohammed Shami finished with figures of 3/48 in 10 overs.