When one talks about fielders who have excelled for Team India, a few names immediately come to mind ！ Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, and more. Among these stars stands a legend every bowler wants in the hot spot ！ Virat Kohli. While he is widely celebrated as one of the best batters in the world, Kohli has also earned a reputation for having some of the safest hands when it comes to catching those flying balls.
In the semi-final clash against Australia in Dubai at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Kohli added another feather to his already illustrious career ！ becoming the player with the most catches for Team India in international cricket as a fielder.?
The 36-year-old cricketer took two crucial catches in the first semi-final, pushing his tally to 161 catches in 301 ODIs. With this, the 'King' surpassed Ricky Ponting's record of 160 catches, securing the No. 2 spot on the elite list ！ led by former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene.
Earlier in the tournament, against Pakistan, Kohli had also surpassed former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin to claim the record for the most catches by an Indian fielder in ODI cricket.?
Most catches in ODIs (by non-wicketkeepers)?
Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) ！ 218 catches in 448 matches?
Virat Kohli (India) ！ 161* catches in 301 matches?
Ricky Ponting (Australia) ！ 160 catches in 375 matches?
Mohammad Azharuddin (India) ！ 156 catches in 334 matches?
Ross Taylor (New Zealand) ！ 142 catches in 236 matches?
Kohli added another milestone to his remarkable career by becoming the third Indian player ！ after MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar ！ to play 50 ODI matches against Australia.?Indian captain Rohit Sharma follows with 46 appearances, while Ravindra Jadeja has featured in 45 games.?
Most ODI matches against Australia (by Indian players):?
71 ！ Sachin Tendulkar?
55 ！ MS Dhoni?
50* ！ Virat Kohli?
46 ！ Rohit Sharma?
45 ！ Ravindra Jadeja?
As of writing this article, India has begun their chase of the 265-run target set by Australia, who were bowled out in 49.3 overs. The Men in Blue lost Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma in the Powerplay?as India is currently at 43-2 in 8 overs.?
Earlier, for Australia, skipper Steven Smith was the top scorer with 73 off 96 balls, followed by Alex Carey's 61 off 57. Travis Head (39 off 33), Marnus Labuschagne (29 off 36), Ben Dwarshuis (19 off 29), and Josh Inglis (11 off 12) contributed with handy cameos.?
On the bowling front, Mohammed Shami took three wickets, while Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja picked up two each. Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel chipped in with one wicket each.?
Australia (Playing XI): Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith(c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(w), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha?
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy?
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