“I am amazed at the hard work he puts in” - Pakistan star’s massive praise for Virat Kohli after century in IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan was in awe of India's star batter Virat Kohli, who crafted a match-winning hundred in their Champions Trophy 2025 clash on Sunday, February 23, at the Dubai International Stadium. The wicketkeeper-batter said he was 'amazed' by the 36-year-old's work ethic as their efforts to dismiss him went in vain.

The former India captain walked in after Shaheen Shah Afridi's inswinging yorker got the better of Rohit Sharma in the fifth over. Although Kohli struggled to score against Abrar Ahmed, he didn't slow down after picking up the tempo. He brought up his 51st ODI hundred with a boundary in the 43rd over of the innings, as Team India sealed a six-wicket victory while chasing 242.

Speaking at the post-game presser, Rizwan said (as quoted by Hindustan Times):

"I am amazed at the hardwork he puts in. The whole world was saying he was out of form but coming into such a big game, he scored runs effortlessly. His fitness and work ethic is indeed praiseworthy. We tried our best to get him out but we could not."

The six-wicket loss also means that Pakistan are almost knocked out of the tournament. In their first match, they suffered a 60-run defeat against New Zealand. On the contrary, Rohit Sharma and company are almost assured of a semi-final spot.

"We should have fate in our hands" - Mohammad Rizwan on Pakistan's Champions Trophy 2025 campaign

Mohammad Rizwan. (Image Credits: Getty)

In the same press conference, Rizwan claimed that he did not like depending on others' results for their semi-final qualification. He said:

"We can say that our campaign is as good as over. We have to depend on results of other matches. There is hope as there is one more game left. As a captain, I don’t like this scenario (depending on other teams). We should have fate in our hands."

The defending champions won an important toss on Sunday in Dubai but failed to find the required momentum in the middle overs. Saud Shakeel top-scored with 62, while Rizwan and Khushdil Shah chipped in with 46 and 38 runs, respectively. With the ball, Shaheen took a couple of wickets for Pakistan.