(UDHAYAM, BIRMINGHAM) – An unbeaten 81 from Indian Captain Virat Kohli helped steer India to a comprehensive 124-run victory over Pakistan in the opening match of their Champions Trophy campaign at Edgbaston.
Kohli’s big hitting – allied to a more patient 91 from opener Rohit Sharma and a blistering half-century from Yuvraj Singh – saw India post a daunting 319-3 from their rain-reduced 48 overs.
Pakistan, chasing a DLS-revised target of 289 off 41 overs, lost wickets at regular intervals, with only Azhar Ali threatening a substantial score.
The result leaves India level on points with South Africa at the top of Group B, with their second of three group matches against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Pakistan meet South Africa in Birmingham on Wednesday, their struggle to 164 all out underlining how much they will have to improve to make the Semi-Finals.
It was a disappointingly, one-sided ending to a match which is regarded by many as the ‘Biggest in sport’. India now have seven successive wins against their rivals in ICC tournaments.
