Virat Kohli Marks 300 ODIs; Chakravarthy Shines in India’s Key Win

Dubai, UAE – Indian cricketer Virat Kohli made a historic milestone by becoming the seventh Indian to play 300 One Day Internationals (ODIs), while Varun Chakravarthy captured his maiden ODI five-wicket haul in a crucial victory over New Zealand by 44 runs in the Champions Trophy group stage on Sunday.

India faced New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as part of the Champions Trophy, which serves as a precursor to the semi-finals. Kohli’s landmark match was marred by a stunning catch from Glenn Phillips, who dismissed him for only 11 runs, leaving India in a precarious position at 30 for 3 after just seven overs.

Despite the early collapse, Shreyas Iyer‘s gritty innings of 79 off 98 balls, alongside Axar Patel‘s support of 42 runs, helped India recover to a total of 249 for 9 in 50 overs. Iyer’s performance included a slow yet steady approach to his half-century, bringing up his 50 off 75 deliveries.

The Kiwis, having won the toss and opted to bowl first, found early success through Matt Henry, who recorded impressive figures of 5 for 42. He took critical wickets of India’s top-order batsmen, including Kohli, Shubman Gill (2), and Rohit Sharma (15).

New Zealand’s chase of 250 got off to a shaky start, losing opener Rachin Ravindra early. Though captain Kane Williamson‘s fighting knock of 81 off 120 balls kept the Kiwis in contention, they ultimately fell short at 205 all out in 45.3 overs. Chakravarthy was the standout bowler for India, finishing with impressive figures of 5 for 42, earning him the Player of the Match award.

Post-match, Indian captain Rohit Sharma commented, “It was very important for us to finish on a high against a very good team. We lost three early wickets and needed a partnership or two, and the total we got was good enough, we thought. We knew we could defend that total, we had confidence.”

Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, remarked on the challenging conditions, saying, “It spun more than we thought, but when they squeezed the power play and then squeezed on from there, it was a bit of a challenge. Four quality spinners makes it pretty tough.”

With this victory, India topped Group A with six points and a net run rate of 0.715, while New Zealand finished second with four points and an NRR of 0.267. India will now prepare to face Australia in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Dubai, while New Zealand is set to take on South Africa in Lahore.