After Dubai Ton, How Virat Kohli's Masterclass Vs Australia Broke Pakistan's Hearts Once Again

Virat Kohli was once again the star of the show in the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia as his match-winning knock of 84 runs in 98 balls sealed India's place in the summit clash of the marquee event for the third time in a row, where they will play either South Africa or New Zealand.

This is the second time in the tournament that Kohli has won the Player of the Match (POTM) award after his century against arch-rivals Pakistan in India's six-wicket victory. The result all but confirmed that the host nation and defending champions were knocked out of the tournament.

Kohli has an incredible record in Pakistan in both ODI and T20I cricket having won 5 POTM awards against them in ICC events, which is the most by a player against the same team. The ex-Indian captain also has four centuries in ODI Cricket against Pakistan, which is the second most by any player in history despite playing just 17 times against them. In T20is, Kohli averages 70.92 against the Men in Green.

Kohli's heroic display against Australia has broken the hearts of cricket fans in Pakistan once again despite their team not being involved in the semi-finals of the mega event. India's qualification for the finals means that Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium has lost the chance to host the final of the tournament, with the summit clash now set to take place in Dubai.

For those unversed, India's refusal to travel to Pakistan means the tournament is taking place in a hybrid model with the Rohit Sharma-led side playing all their matches in Dubai. Although India's three league stage matches and the first semi-final were designated to Dubai, the venue of the summit clash was kept a suspense with both Dubai and Lahore designated as hosts.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had stated that if India reaches the final, it will take place in Dubai, while if the summit clash is between any of the other seven teams, it will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium.

With India set to take part in the final, Dubai will host the final on Sunday (March 9). The second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand will be the last match of the tournament in Pakistan.

The 1996 World Cup final between Australia and Sri Lanka in Lahore remains the only instance of Pakistan hosting the final of an ICC event.The sales of ticket for the summit clash went on sale shortly after the India-Australia clash ended. This marks an unprecedented moment in ICC events history that the tickets of of the showpiece clash were not made available till less than a week before the match.

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