Virat Kohli once again lived up to his reputation as the “chase master” by leading India to a famous victory over Pakistan in a thrilling encounter, successfully chasing down a target of 242 runs. This victory almost guaranteed India’s progression to the Champions Trophy semi-finals. Kohli not only secured the win for his team but also brought up his 51st ODI century and 82nd international century, finishing unbeaten on 100 and hitting the winning runs. However, the journey to his century was filled with drama and tension.

With India closing in on the target, Kohli found himself in a race against time for two reasons. First, Hardik Pandya came in and quickly reduced the target with two fours off consecutive balls. The second reason was the 42nd over bowled by Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi. At the start of the over, Kohli was on 87, with India needing just 17 runs to win. Axar Patel, the other unbeaten batter, had a clear plan: give Kohli the majority of the strike to allow him to reach his century.

But things took a turn when Shaheen Afridi bowled three wides in just four deliveries. This caused the crowd to react, and Kohli was visibly frustrated. One of the wides saw Axar fail to run after a ball that had strayed down the leg side, thinking it was going for a boundary. When he realized the ball wasn’t going to make it, Axar hurriedly ran for a single, ensuring Kohli returned to the strike.

Afridi’s poor over continued with another wide delivery outside the off-stump and a slower bouncer, which was again called a wide by the umpire. With three wides in that over, India now needed only five more runs to win, and Kohli was on 94. The Dubai crowd, growing impatient, began chanting “loser,” suspecting that Afridi was deliberately giving away extras to deny Kohli his century. The sentiment was echoed by fans on social media.

However, Kohli’s brilliance came through in the end. With only three runs needed to win and Kohli sitting on 96, he elegantly drove Khushdil Shah through the off-side, bringing up his century. The crowd erupted in celebration, and Kohli had once again proven why he is one of the game’s greatest chasers.

This moment of Kohli’s century called to mind a similar incident in Indian cricket history, where a century was denied in controversial fashion. Back in 2010, Sri Lankan spinner Suraj Randiv overstepped when Virender Sehwag was on 99, sending the ball over the boundary for a six. However, since it was a no-ball, the match ended right then, and Sehwag’s century was nullified. But for Kohli, the chase was successful, and his century stood, cementing his place as one of the game’s best finishers.