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Indian great Virat Kohli once again proved why he is regarded as the king of the chase, playing yet another crucial knock to guide India to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy defeating Australia. Chasing 265 is never easy on the tricky Dubai surface, but when Kohli plays like he usually does, it becomes easy. His innings featured just five boundaries, but it was his ability to rotate the strike and build partnerships that stood out. “I was not feeling desperate, and I was pretty happy knocking ones around,” Kohli said after the match. “And when, as a batter, you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that is when you know you are playing good cricket and know you are in for a big partnership. It settles down the nerves. That was the most pleasing factor for me today,” as he quoted by the ICC. While chasing 265, India suffered early setbacks losing the openers cheaply. They were reeling at 43 for two. But that was the point when Kohli stood strong, and stretched important partnerships with Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and KL Rahul to guide India to the track. Ravindra, Williamson centuries power New Zealand to 362 in Champions Trophy semifinal The Dubai pitch has made life difficult for batters throughout the tournament, forcing teams to rely heavily on spinners. India’s bowling unit, led by their spin trio, kept Australia in check, bowling them out for 264 in the final over.  “For me it is about understanding the conditions, preparing my game accordingly, rotating strike,” Kohli said. “Big partnerships on this pitch are the most important thing and my effort today was to string enough partnerships [together]. The pitch tells me how the cricket needs to be played and then I just switch on and play accordingly.”  While Kohli missed out on a century, he insisted milestones were never his focus. “For me, it is all about taking pride and doing the job for the team. If I get to the three-figure mark then great. If not, on nights like these, you win, it is a happy dressing room,” he said after the match. India will now face winners of the second semifinal— either New Zealand or South Africa— in the final aiming to lift their third Champions Trophy title.

Virat Kohli is set to achieve a significant milestone as he becomes only the seventh Indian cricketer to play 300 ODIs. This landmark match will take place against New Zealand in the final group stage fixture of the Champions Trophy on Sunday in Dubai. To mark the occasion, Kohli’s wife, Anushka Sharma, and his elder brother, Vikas Kohli, are expected to arrive in Dubai on Sunday. Sources confirmed their presence, emphasizing the importance of this milestone in the star batter’s career. Kohli’s recent form had been under scrutiny, particularly after a disappointing Test series in Australia. Although he showed signs of regaining his touch during the ODI series against England, it wasn’t enough to quell critics. However, in the Champions Trophy, after a sluggish start against Bangladesh, Kohli bounced back in spectacular fashion against Pakistan in Dubai. His performance evoked memories of his match-winning knock against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Melbourne. In that game, he sealed victory with a stunning shot, marking his 51st ODI century and becoming the fastest batsman to reach 14,000 ODI runs. King Kohli becomes fastest batter to reach 14,000 runs in ODI cricket In his 299 ODIs so far, Kohli has amassed 14,085 runs at an average of 58.20 and a strike rate of 93.41. His remarkable record includes 51 centuries, 73 half-centuries, and a highest score of 193. Throughout his illustrious career, Kohli has consistently set new benchmarks, holding the record as the fastest batsman to reach 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, 12,000, 13,000, and 14,000 runs in ODIs. Source: Agencies 

Virat Kohli has returned from a knee injury as England won the toss and opted to bat against India in the second ODI at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday. India won the first ODI in Nagpur by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The hosts had won the preceding T20 series 4-1. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy made his ODI debut for the hosts. He took 14 wickets in the recent five-game T20 series. The 33-year-old is India’s oldest debutant since their inaugural ODI team in 1974 (against England at Leeds). Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was rested for Chakravarthy’s inclusion. Kohli returns to the playing eleven after recovering from a knock to his knee prior to the first ODI. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his ODI debut in Nagpur, was left out. Most wickets in men's test cricket history England made three changes, with Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton all included. Pacer Jofra Archer was rested, while all-rounder Jacob Bethell out with a hamstring issue. The pitch here is a black soil wicket, and could exhibit variable bounce as the game progresses. Spin will likely come into play on the abrasive surface as the sun beats down. Short square boundaries could aid the batters for a high scoring game. Line-ups: India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Lokesh Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami. England: Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood.

Former India captain Virat Kohli is facing a possible fine after bumping shoulders with Australia’s Sam Konstas in a fiery opening Thursday to the fourth test of the five-match series. After choosing to bat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia reached 311-6 at stumps Thursday. Teenager Konstas (60), Usman Khawaja (57), Marnus Labuschagne (72) and Steve Smith (68 not out) all made half-centuries in front of a crowd of 87,242. Jasprit Bumrah claimed 3-75, continuing his dominance of Australia’s batters in this series. The on-field action heated up at the end of the 10th over. Kohli collided shoulder to shoulder as he walked past 19-year-old Konstas, whose risky stroke-play was causing enormous frustration for the fielding side. Debutant Konstas and 36-year-old Kohli exchanged words after the collision. A visibly angry Kohli started walking back towards Konstas before umpire Michael Gough and Khawaja hurried over to settle things down between the pair. India assistant coach Abishek Nayar said he could not confirm a media report that Kohli had accepted a fine of 20% of his match fee. Nayar said he did not see the incident as he was “having a conversation outside." “When you play a game like that, there’s always going to be emotions, but I’m pretty sure that it’s not as big as it seems,” he said. Bangladeshi off-break bowler Mahedi Hasan advances to top 10 in ICC Men's T20 bowling ranking Konstas said Kohli had run into him “accidentally.” “I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me. But I think that’s just cricket, just the tension,” Konstas said. Konstas said his aggressive batting was part of a new era in test cricket. “Yeah definitely. I reckon 20 or 30 years ago people would be saying ‘defend a lot, just bat all day’,” Konstas said. “But I think there’s a new generation, new shots. It’s exciting for me. I like doing that, putting pressure back on the bowlers.” Konstas admitted it “probably would look silly” if he was dismissed playing such outlandish shots. “That’s the beauty about being young and maybe a bit naïve,” he said. Asked about his verbal battles with India’s bowlers, Konstas said: “It got heated at times which was good for me. I feel like that brings the best out of me.” Nayar said India’s bowlers showed a lot of character to bounce back after Konstas led Australia’s scoring in the opening session. “Overall, we were happy with where we ended,” he said. Earlier, Konstas looked nervous as he played and missed four times in the opening over of the match, bowled by Bumrah. The youngster fought back by playing three audacious reverse scoops over slips in Bumrah’s fourth over, hitting two fours and a six. Konstas dominated an opening stand of 89 before he was lbw to spinner Ravindra Jadeja, ending a pulsating 65-ball debut. Australia reached 112-1 at lunch. South Africa aims to seal its place in WTC final in test series against Pakistan Khawaja scored his first half-century of the series before Bumrah struck at 154-2 when the left-hander chipped a catch to mid-wicket. Australia was in control at 237-2 but lost momentum when Labuschagne miscued a lofted drive and was caught at mid-off off the bowling of spinner Washington Sundar. Labuschagne had added 83 for the third wicket with Steve Smith. Travis Head, the leading run-scorer in the series, was bowled for a duck by Bumrah after offering no shot in a crucial breakthrough for India three runs later. Mitchell Marsh was caught behind for four in Bumrah’s next over as Australia suffered a middle-order collapse, losing three wickets for nine runs. Akash Deep broke a partnership of 53 between Smith and Alex Carey (31) in the second over with the second new ball when Carey was caught behind. At stumps, Pat Cummins was was providing good support for Smith, reaching eight not out. The five-match series is level at 1-1 after a rainy draw at Brisbane, The fifth and final test is scheduled to start on Jan. 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Right up to the Twenty20 World Cup final, there were question marks about whether India should persist with playing Virat Kohli. One of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced just wasn't scoring. He'd tallied 75 runs in seven games, including two ducks. India won every game but Kohli was reduced to a concerning afterthought, saved by the middle order and bowlers. The humbling scores followed a spectacular Indian Premier League for Kohli, who set or extended tournament records in scoring 741 runs at an average of nearly 62. Captain and fellow opener Rohit Sharma, despite their low-scoring partnerships at the World Cup, insisted throughout that he and Kohli were the first names on the team list. His faith was repaid in the final against South Africa on Saturday, when Kohli led India's batting with 76 from 59 balls in a competitive total of 176-7. The bowlers brilliantly defended the total to win a thriller by seven runs and make India a world champion for the first time in 13 years. “None of us doubted him,” Sharma said of Kohli. Virat Kohli latest victim of deepfake? “We know his quality. He has been at the top of his game for 15 years now. Big players will step up in big occasions and he played a crucial knock today. It was a team effort to get to that total but we knew we needed someone to bat time and he did that perfectly, using all his experience.” After being named man of the match, Kohli said it was his last T20 international. “One day you feel like you can't get a run, but one day things just click,” he said. “I am so proud to get the runs for the team on the day it mattered most. The occasion prompted that change for me, I felt like it was now or never. We have wanted to lift a trophy for a long time. The occasion made me put my head down, respect the situation and play the innings that the team needed from me.” Class prevails when it comes to Kohli. He's produced so often when it's mattered. In the 2014 final in Dhaka, he led all scorers with 77 off 58, though India lost to Sri Lanka. In the 2016 semifinal in Mumbai, he hit an unbeaten 89 off 47 in the loss to West Indies. Asia Cup: India overpower Afghanistan as Virat Kohli hits ton after 1,000 days He finished as the T20 captain at the 2021 World Cup, and hit 50 off 40 in the 2022 semifinal loss to England in Adelaide. After six T20 World Cups, he's the highest scorer in tournament history, just ahead of Sharma, but he's decided to finish his 14-year T20 career on a high than stay to the next World Cup in 2026 co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. He'd be 37 by then. “It is time for the new generation to come through for India,” Kohli said. "We have some amazing players coming through and they have to take this team forwards now. Virat Kohli steps down as India's Test skipper “I wasn't feeling myself before today. I wasn't confident. So I am very grateful and humble right now. It has been difficult, so there are a lot of emotions. It hasn't quite sunk in for me yet. It's an amazing day, I am so thankful.”

In a remarkable display of sustained disciplined bowling, Australia restricted India to 240 all-out in 50 overs in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Sunday in Ahmedabad. India was asked to bat first after losing the toss - a huge call by Pat Cummins that defied conventional wisdom. World Cup 2023: Kohli Falls as Australia Take Control The hosts struggled to establish effective partnerships when they needed them most. Credit goes to the Australian pace attack, which denied the Indian batting line-up the chance to settle in. Virat Kohli and Lokesh Rahul both secured half-centuries, and the responsibility rested on them to carry India's hopes further. However, they couldn't defy the disciplined Australian attack. World Cup 2023 Final: India stumble, lose 3 wickets before reaching 100 Mitchell Starc led the charge, taking three wickets for 55 in 10 overs. He initiated the breakthrough by dismissing Shubman Gill. India lost three wickets before even reaching 100 runs. As on other occasions, Rohit Sharma had a promising and explosive start, but the Indian captain couldn't sustain his aggression. Shreyas Iyer, like Gill, failed to deliver on the biggest match of their lives. ICC World Cup 2023 Final: Australia ask India to bat first Josh Inglis, the Australian wicketkeeper, took five catches behind the wicket. For Australia, Starc claimed three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins took two wickets each. Prior to this match, Australia and India faced each other in another final of the ICC World Cup, which Australia won.

Virat Kohli scored his 45th ODI hundred on his return to the national team as India beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs in their series opener on Tuesday. Kohli, who missed India's 2-1 win in the T20 series against Sri Lanka, hit an 87-ball 113 to put India in control of the first one-day international after the hosts were asked to bat first at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. India reached a commanding 373-7 in its 50 overs with half-centuries from captain Rohit Sharma (83) and Shubman Gill (70). Sri Lanka was restricted to 306-8 in reply as skipper Dasun Shanaka’s 108 runs not out off 88 balls went in vain as India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The wisdom of Sri Lanka's decision to bowl first looked doubtful from the start as Sharma and Gill put on 143 runs off 118 balls for the first wicket. Returning from a finger injury, Sharma reached 50 off 41 balls. At the other end, Gill continued his good ODI run with 50 off 51 balls. Shanaka (1-22) got the breakthrough before Kohli arrived at the crease and batted almost to the end of the innings. It was Kohli’s ninth ODI hundred against Sri Lanka, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of eight centuries for India against the same opposition. Kohli is also now four short of Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49 ODI hundreds. Overall, it was Kohli’s 73rd international century. Read  more: India, Sri Lanka face off in a crucial encounter in Asia Cup 2022 “I was hitting the ball nicely. It was close to the template I play with," Kohli said. "I am in a comfortable career space now and playing for the right reasons.” Kohli scored 12 fours and a six as India crossed 200 in 27 overs. He brought up his 50 off 47 balls. India lost Shreyas Iyer (28) in the 30th over. Kohli then added 90 runs for the fourth wicket with Lokesh Rahul (39) to take India past the 300 mark. India added 79 runs in the final 10 overs. Sri Lanka faltered against disciplined fast bowling. Mohammed Siraj (2-30) struck early blows, removing Avishka Fernando (5) and Kusal Mendis (0). Umran Malik (3-57) dismissed Charith Asalanka (23) to reduce Sri Lanka to 64-3 in 14 overs. Pathum Nissanka helped to hold the innings together with 72 off 80 balls, including 11 fours. Sri Lanka was down to 206-8 but Shanaka was unperturbed in a run-a-ball half-century. Read more: IND vs SL 2022: India celebrate thumping victory, Virat’s 100th Test touches another milestone He hit 12 fours and three sixes to accelerate to a second ODI hundred. He added 100 runs off 73 balls for the unbroken ninth wicket with Kasun Rajitha only contributing 9 runs as the pair reduced the scale of defeat for Sri Lanka. The second ODI is on Thursday at Kolkata.

Taijul Islam was in fine form on day two of the Dhaka Test, claiming three wickets and putting India under pressure by making runs difficult to come by. India were at 19 for none at the end of day one. But they got off to a shaky start on day two in response to Bangladesh's first innings total of 227. At lunch of day two, India were batting at 83 for three, with Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant not out for 18 and 12, respectively. Read more: Siddons blames Bangladesh's batting collapse in Dhaka Test on mental lapses Indian captain Lokesh Rahul was the first batter to fall prey to Taijul. Although he tried to defend a delivery of the left-arm spinner, the ball hit his front pad first. Bangladesh appealed for an lbw, but the umpire was not convinced. However, the review revealed that the ball was indeed heading for the stumps and Rahul had no choice but to walk off the field. Shubman Gill became the next prey of Taijul. The ball hit his pad and the appeal for an lbw was convincing enough for the umpire to declare him out. India lost both openers with only 38 runs on the board. But the third wicket partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat was going well. However, their stand was cut short as Mominul Haque took a sharp catch at the short fine leg, allowing Taijul to claim his third wicket in the match, dismissing Pujara. Read more: Dhaka Test: Umesh, Ashwin run rampant, leave Bangladesh floundering Bangladesh opted to bat first in the Dhaka Test, with Mominul Haque contributing 84 runs to their 227/10. This was Mominul's first fifty after 12 innings. For India, Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin each bagged four wickets.

Shakib Al Hasan had an outstanding start to the first ODI against India, striking twice in his opening over. This proved to be extremely costly for India, as they lost their captain and star batter - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - in a matter of three balls during the 11th over. Shakib surprised Rohit with a straight delivery that he had been expecting to spin - costing him his stumps for 27 off 31 balls. Moments later, Shakib had another triumph as Bangladesh's newly appointed ODI captain Liton Das leapt to his right and grasped an incredible catch at cover that the crowd of Mirpur would remember for years to come. Kohli was the unfortunate victim, dismissed by Shakib. Read more: Bangladesh opts for bowling in first ODI vs India Virat was clearly taken aback by Liton’s extraordinary fielding effort that departed him on 9 runs off 15 balls. Prior to Shakib Al Hasan's successful first over, Mehidy Hasan Miraz had already contributed to India's downfall by removing Shikhar Dhawan from the game - the first wicket to fall. Liton won the toss for Bangladesh and sent India to bat first in the first ODI match of BAN vs India Series 2022.  Read more: Bangladesh vs India Series 2022: Full Fixtures, Squads, H2H Records

Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 64 off 44 balls and propelled India to a massive total of 184 for six against Bangladesh in their fourth match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup on Wednesday in Adelaide.  Shoriful Islam, who was picked up in this match replacing Soumya Sarkar, conceded 57 runs and failed to bag any wickets. Hasan Mahmud, the other pacer, bagged three wickets but conceded more than 11 runs an over.  Read more: T20 World Cup: Rahul gains momentum before losing wicket to Shakib Bangladeshi bowlers were impressive in the powerplay when they conceded only 37 runs picking up one wicket. Hasan missed a dolly from Rohit Sharma at the boundary off the ball of Taskin Ahmed. But in the fourth over, Hasan removed Rohit for two as Yasir took a great catch.  Taskin was imperious from the first over. He bowled his overs early in the innings just conceding 15 runs. At one point, he seemed to be unplayable by the Indian batters. But he was unlucky and ended up wicketless.  Lokesh Rahul was on fire in the middle. He smashed 24 runs off the ninth over, bowled by Shoriful Islam, who came to the playing XI replacing Soumya Sarkar. The left-arm seamer conceded two sixes in that over with a no-ball and a wide. Rahul picked up his fifty off just 31 balls. Shakib conceded 10 runs off his first over but managed to scalp the dangerous wicket of Lokesh.  Virat Kohli played some glorious shots after coming to bat after the dismissal of Rohit. Kohli and Lokesh added 67 runs on the board of just 37 balls. But, Bangladesh somewhat managed to contain Kohli in the middle.  Read more: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh off to a good start vs India But in the 15th over, Kohli hit two fours off Mustafizur Rahman with an inside edge that went past the stumps. After the 15th over, India were at 130 for three with Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya batting for 40 and five respectively.  Hardik came to bat after Shakib bowled Suryakumar Yadav for 30 off 16 balls. The number-one T20 batsman was getting dangerous before Shakib trapped him.  In the last five overs, India added 54 runs with Kohli hitting a 37-ball fifty and ending up on 64 off 44 balls. Before Kohli reached his fifty, Hasan removed Hardik Pandya off the first ball of the 16th over.  With this unbeaten 64, Kohli passed the 200-run mark in this World Cup so far.  A dual effort from Shakib and Shoriful managed to send Dinesh Karthik back trapped in a run-out. He has a history to get dangerous in the death overs against Bangladesh.  Shakib bagged two wickets while Mustafizur Rahman conceded 31 runs but failed to get any wickets.  Before this match, Bangladesh faced India in 11 T20Is and won only one of those matches.