Champions Trophy 2025 qualification scenarios: Have India qualified for the semifinals after their six-wicket win over Pakistan?

Team India beat Pakistan by six wickets in their Champions Trophy match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23. With back-to-back wins, the Men in Blue have made themselves among the favorites to qualify for the semifinal of the ICC event. They beat Bangladesh by six wickets in their opening game of the campaign at the same venue.

Chasing 242 against Pakistan, Virat Kohli put on a show. The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 100 off 111 deliveries, comprising seven boundaries. This was his 51st ODI ton and 82nd in international cricket. The 36-year-old broke a plethora of records during his match-winning knock before his boundary to take his team past the finish line.

Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill also chipped in with 56 (67) and 46 (52), respectively. Shaheen Afridi bagged two wickets for Pakistan but leaked 74 runs in his eight overs.

Earlier in the day, Rohit Sharma and company bundled out the Men in Green for 241 in 49.2 overs. Kuldeep Yadav spun a web for Pakistan batters, returning with figures of 3/40 in his nine overs. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya bagged two wickets.

Saud Shakeel starred with the bat for Pakistan, scoring 62 off 76 balls. The southpaw shared a 104-run third wicket stand with skipper Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 46 off 77. Khusdil Shah also chipped in with 38 off 39 towards the backend of the innings.

With four points in two games, it’s only a matter of time before Team India qualify for the semifinals in first or second place from Group A in the 2025 Champions Trophy. They are currently atop the points table but have a lower net run rate (NRR) of +0.647 than New Zealand (+1.200).

India will next lock horns with the Kiwis in Dubai on Sunday, March 2. They will be keen to complete a hat-trick of wins and dominate the points table heading into the semifinals.

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“Doing what he does the best” – Rohit Sharma lauds Virat Kohli after India beat Pakistan in Champions Trophy clash

India captain Rohit Sharma has lavished praise on Virat Kohli for his century after the Men in Blue beat Pakistan with 7.3 overs to spare in the Champions Trophy clash. He also credited the bowlers for restricting Pakistan to 241.

The 37-year-old said in the post-match show (via ESPNcricinfo):

“Virat loves representing the country, doing what he does the best, which is what he did today. People sitting inside the dressing room aren't surprised with what he did.”

“Credit goes to Kuldeep, Axar, Jadeja, who have played a lot. Rizwan and Saud stitched a good stand, was important not to let the game drift. It was a good performance from the entire unit. Boys understand what kind of job is required out of them,” he added.

Click here to check out the full IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy scorecard.