India extended its dominance over arch-rival Pakistan in ICC tournaments with a convincing six-wicket victory on Sunday, confidently chasing down 241 in their second Champions Trophy group match in Dubai.

Star batter Virat Kohli stole the spotlight with a brilliant century, stepping up after a series of recent disappointing performances. Quick between the wickets and in top form, Kohli led India to victory in this high-stakes match. Alongside him, Shreyas Iyer scored his 21st ODI fifty off 63 balls, as India secured their second consecutive win of the tournament, finishing with 7.3 overs to spare.

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and elected to bat in this blockbuster clash against the Men in Blue. However, after back-to-back losses, the host nation is fighting to stay alive in the tournament. Defending champions Pakistan lost the tournament opener to New Zealand, and this defeat will virtually end their chances of making the semi-finals.

KT Photo: Muhammad Sajjad

India secured the thrilling victory in front of a packed crowd at the highly anticipated Group A match at the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium. Dubai is hosting all of India’s matches after they refused to tour Pakistan due to political tensions.

Virat Kohli also became only the third batsman in one-day international history to surpass 14,000 runs. The 36-year-old entered the match with 13,985 runs in 298 ODIs and reached the milestone with a flowing punch through the covers off pace bowler Haris Rauf.

India has prevailed in seven of the eight completed ODIs over the last decade against their rivals, against whom they only play in multi-team events due to the strained political relationship between the two countries.