India got off to a great start in their chase of 242 runs against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Despite losing skipper Rohit Sharma for 20 off 15 balls, vice-captain Shubman Gill, along with Virat Kohli, continued the attack.
However, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan brought in spinner Abrar Ahmed, who broke the partnership by dismissing Gill for 46 off 52 balls — denying him a well-deserved fifty.
Abrar Ahmed struck with a sharp carrom ball that squared up Gill. Beaten by the ripper, Gill heard the ball crash into the stumps — a sound Abrar seemingly relished. The spinner gave Gill a fiery sendoff, staring him down and folding his hands with a head tilt toward the pavilion, exuding confidence and attitude.
The sendoff quickly sparked reactions online. Pakistani fans celebrated Abrar's intensity, taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to cheer him on.?One fan wrote, "JAFFA FROM ABRAR AHMED…!!! Shubman Gill dismissed for 46 runs."
Another said, "ABRAR AHMED WITH A MAGICAL BALL TO DISMISS SHUBMAN GILL."
However, Indian fans were less impressed, criticizing Abrar’s bold celebration.?One user commented, "Abrar Ahmed's celebration is quite weird. Too much for a bowler of his size/achievements."
Another added, "That Abrar Ahmed reaction... I just hate it."
A fan wrote, "Abrar Ahmed... there's still a game left. Wait until you're officially knocked out of the tournament."?
After 28 overs, India reached 140/2, with Virat Kohli standing firm at the crease along with Shreyas Iyer. Kohli achieved a historic milestone, becoming the fastest batter to score 14,000 ODI runs in just 287 innings.?
He is only the third player to reach this landmark, following Sachin Tendulkar (350 innings) and Kumar Sangakkara (378 innings). Impressively, Kohli achieved the feat 63 innings quicker than Tendulkar.?
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav?
Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed??
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