“It could be obstructing the field” - Sunil Gavaskar unimpressed by Virat Kohli's actions in IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match [Watch]

Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar was unhappy with Virat Kohli's actions during the 2025 Champions Trophy match against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, February 23.

The incident took place during the 21st over of the run chase. Kohli tapped the ball on the off-side and took a quick single. When he reached his crease, there was a throw at the non-striker's end by a Pakistani fielder. Interestingly, the former India captain attempted to stop the throw with his hand.

It surprised many fans as no fielder was backing up to collect the throw. Gavaskar expressed his displeasure while commentating and opined that Kohli would have been adjudged out had there been an appeal for obstructing the field.

Reacting to Kohli's attempt to collect the ball with his glove, Gavaskar said:

"Look at this. This is unusual. He [Virat Kohli] stopped the ball with his hand. If the Pakistanis appealed, and they didn't, it could be obstructing the field. There was no need. Maybe there was nobody backing up also at that stage. Maybe there could have been an extra run over there. Have a look, there's nobody backing up. I mean the fielder at midwicket would have had to dive. But there was no need for him to interfere with the progress of the ball. He is lucky nobody has appealed."

As per Marylebone Cricket Club's Law 37.4, if a batter uses his bat or any part of his body to return the ball without the consent of the fielder, the fielding team can appeal for obstructing the field and the batter will be given out. It is an unusual dismissal and only eight batters have been given out for obstructing the field so far in ODI cricket.

Virat Kohli was the top performer with the bat for India as they chased down a 242-run target with six wickets in hand. The senior batter notched up his 51st ODI ton, remaining unbeaten on 100 off 111 balls, including seven boundaries. With the hundred, he ended a 466-day century drought in the format.

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"Why should he remain stranded at 97, 98 not out" - Sunil Gavaskar says Virat Kohli deserved to finish with a century in IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match

When Virat Kohli was batting on 87, India required just 17 runs to win. The equation became tighter after Shaheen Afridi bowled three wides in the 42nd over. The batter moved to 96 when India were just two runs away from victory.

The 36-year-old did eventually get a century with a boundary off left-arm spinner Khushdil Shah's bowling in the 43rd over. Sunil Gavaskar opined that Kohli wasn't bothered about his hundred as he was constantly taking singles instead of looking to keep the strike.

The cricketer-turned-commentator, however, suggested that Kohli didn't deserve to be stranded in the 90s after that fine knock. He also praised Axar Patel for sacrificing his runs to ensure the ace batter gets to the landmark.

Speaking to Sports Tak, Gavaskar said:

"Well, he [Virat Kohli] showed that because he was taking singles. He could have kept the strike but he wanted to take the team to as emphatic win as possible. The more deliveries you have to spare, it tells you how much you have dominated the game. If you win by 70-80 balls (remaining), that is a massive win."

"Axar Patel when he came in realised that if he hits a boundary, he would have never been forgiven. Centuries don't come everyday. As a team man, knowing that the situation you are in, you want to make sure that your teammate who has worked hard gets to a hundred. He has batted spendidly. Why should he remain stranded at 97, 98 not out. It was not there were one or two overs left that you have to make every ball count for runs. That tells you the respect Kohli helds among his teammates that they were able to make sacrifices of their runs so that he could achieve a landmark," he added.

It is worth mentioning that during his unbeaten century, Virat Kohli also became the fastest batter to score 14,000 runs in ODIs. He took just 287 innings for the milestone, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record who achieved the feat in 350 innings.