Virat Kohli acknowledges Abrar Ahmed's impressive spell in IND vs PAK Champions Trophy 2025 clash [Watch]

Team India's batting star Virat Kohli acknowledged Abrar Ahmed's outstanding bowling spell during the Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Pakistan on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In a video surfaced on social media, Kohli gave the leg-spinner a pat on the back as the latter finished with figures of 10-0-28-1, albeit in a losing cause.

Abrar, who was the most economical bowler for the Men in Green even against New Zealand in the previous game with figures of 10-0-47-1, threatened the Indian batters from the word go. The 26-year-old dismissed Shubman Gill with a ripper of a delivery for 46 and kept at it on the other pair of batters but couldn't get any more wicket.

Watch the clip here:

It was Mohammad Rizwan who won the toss and elected to bat first in Dubai. However, Pakistan came under plenty of pressure after a decent start as they lost their openers quickly. They failed to get the required momentum in the middle overs and the 62 by Saud Shakeel proved to be their highest score.

Contributions from Rizwan (46) and Khushdil Shah (38) propeled their side to a fighting 241. Nevertheless, Kohli stood tall with his 51st hundred to guide the Men in Blue home with six wickets to spare in 42.3 overs.

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"It's about keeping the outside noise away" - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli. (Image Credits: Getty)

Kohli, who struck a boundary to hit the winning runs and bring up his ton, said he kept things simple in the middle and take more risks against the pacers instead of spinners. He elaborated while speaking to the broadcasters at the post-game presentation:

"It feels to be good to bat in that manner in an important game, where a spot for semis was there to be taken, after Rohit fell. My job was clear - to control the middle overs, not take risks against spinners and take on pacers. I was happy with the template, it's how I play in ODIs. I have a decent understanding of my game. It's about keeping the outside noise away, take care of my energy levels and thoughts. It's easy for me to get pulled into expectations and frenzy around games like these. I kept telling myself I'll give my 100% while fielding. It's why I take pride in it. When you put your head down and go about your work, things work out."

With another defeat, Pakistan are on the brink of elimination, while India have almost sealed a semi-final position.