New Delhi, Feb 25: After India’s thumping six-wicket win over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia lauded the team for their effort and advised them to not be complacent and focus on the big matches ahead.

Virat Kohli’s stunning unbeaten century guided India over the line in 42.3 overs in the chase of 242. His knock was laced with seven boundaries, including his picture-perfect cover drives, reminding his critics of his vintage days.

During the match, Kohli became the fastest batter to complete 14,000 ODI runs and also surpassed Mohammad Azharuddin’s feat for most catches for India as a fielder in ODIs. He was named Player of the Match for his dual heroics.

In bowling, Kuldeep Yadav bagged three wickets while all-rounder Hardik Pandya returned with the figures of 2-31 in his eight overs.

“We don’t need to be complacent… should focus on the big matches ahead (semi-final and final). The entire team is performing well, Rohit (Sharma) is scoring, Virat (Kohli) smashed a brilliant ton and Hardik Pandya bowled really well. So, we’re very happy with the win over Pakistan. 70 per cent of the crowd present in the stadium (in Dubai) was supporting Team India and the atmosphere was electrifying. Everybody is so proud of the team,” Saikia told media.

After registering consecutive wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan in Group A, the Rohit Sharma-led side will next take on New Zealand in their final group fixture on March 2.

Both India and New Zealand have qualified for the semi-finals from Group A with hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh set to make early exits after consecutive defeats in the tournament.

India and New Zealand last faced each other in an ODI in the 2023 World Cup semi-final, where Men in Blue sealed the tie by 70 runs at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to qualify for the summit clash.

On the other hand, South Africa, Australia, England and Afghanistan are in the fray for two semis spots from Group B. South Africa and Australia started their campaign with a win against Afghanistan and England, respectively.

Nagpur, Feb 25: Kerala have set their eye on their maiden Ranji Trophy title when they take on two-time champions Vidarbha in the summit clash, which will be played at the VCA Stadium here in Jamtha from Wednesday.

Kerala has had an impressive season, reaching the semifinals for the second time in their history, previously achieving this milestone in the 2018-19 season. However, they have never advanced beyond this stage since then. But, under the guidance of head coach Amay Khurasiya, the team broke this long-standing barrier and made history by reaching their first-ever Ranji Trophy final after taking a slim two-run first-innings lead against Gujarat.

En route to the final, Kerala drew all four of their group-stage matches, facing Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bengal, and Karnataka and advanced to the knockout stage.

The Sachin Bay-led team then drew their quarterfinal match against Jammu and Kashmir, progressing to their second-ever semifinal with a first-innings lead. They secured their maiden final berth with a dramatic win in the semifinal.

Kerala’s run to the final has been dotted with key performances from their 38-year-old veteran Jalaj Saxena and Salman Nizar. Saxena completed the rare Ranji double of 6000 runs and 400 wickets earlier in the season, while Nizar has been their highest run-getter with 607 runs at an average of 86.71. Fast bowler MD Nidheesh has become a formidable force and even took a match haul of ten wickets in the quarterfinal.

On the other hand, this will be Vidarbha’s fourth Ranji Trophy final and the second on the trot. The Akshay Wadkar-led side, who have remained unbeaten this year, would like to make amends from last year’s final, where they lost against Mumbai. Interestingly, they secured a commanding 80-run victory over 42-time champions Mumbai to reach the final.

Vidarbha have won five of their seven group stage matches with two ending up in a draw. In the quarterfinal, they defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 88 runs, followed by their win over Mumbai in the semis.

Vidarbha will bank majorly on batter Yash Rathod, who has scored 933 runs in 9 matches this year, at an average of 58, and bowler Harsh Dubey, who has 66 wickets this season. Their skipper also led from the front with his gritty performances and is the second highest run-getter for the team with 674-runs.

Vidarbha, however, retained their 17-member squad for the final of the Ranji Trophy while Kerala are yet to name their sqaud.

Squad-

Vidarbha: Akshay Wadkar (c&wk), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Thakare, Darshan Nalkande, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (wk), Yash Thakur, Danish Malewar, Parth Rekhade, Karun Nair, Dhruv Shorey.

Kerala: Yet to be named

Dubai, Feb 25: Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has lauded India star batter Virat Kohli’s ability to step up in crucial moments after the right-hander steered India to a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy with a rollicking unbeaten ton.

The game was headlined by Kohli’s carefully crafted unbeaten century, which not only secured India’s win but also saw him achieve remarkable individual milestones.

Kohli scored an unbeaten 100 off 111 deliveries to keep the momentum, bringing up his 51st ODI ton whic is most by anyone in the format. The 36-year-old also crossed the 14,000-run mark to become only the third batter to do so after Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.

“I’ve always said big games equal big names. You need your big names to stand up in those big moments, and no bigger game for India than a game against Pakistan,: Ponting told ICC.

“Your reputation is forged in what you do in the biggest contests on the international stage. So it’s no surprise to me that that has happened,” he added, describing Kohli’s unbeaten 100 off 111 balls as a testament to his temperament and ability to deliver in crucial situations,” he said.

This was not the first that Kohli’s brilliance powered India to winover Pakistan; during the chase of 160 at the MCG at the 2022 T20 World Cup it was Kohli, who stepped up and steered his country to victory, hitting 82 from 53 balls in Melbourne.

Ponting drew parallels between the batting stalwart’s clutch knock in Melbourne against the same opponent, which steered India to a win and his brilliance in Dubai.

“Yeah, as you say, 2022 and now, he stood up against the team that he would probably steel himself the most to play against. And no bigger moment than last night when Pakistan had batted first on a tricky wicket. It needed someone at the top of the order to play a match-winning innings like that. And once again, it was Kohli to get the job done,” the ICC Hall of Famer said.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 241 in 49.4 overs, a total that seemed competitive but ultimately fell short against India’s batting prowess. Pakistan had several batters who got starts but failed to convert them into bigger scores, something Ponting pointed out as a key shortfall.

“You look at the two scorecards, it’s one, Virat making a 100, and lots of Pakistan starts without anyone going on and making a big score,” Ponting noted.

“I’ve said forever, in any format of the game, a 50 or a half-century never wins you or your team anything. You have to get big scores. And so the individual big scores weren’t there, but the big partnerships weren’t there either.”

Chasing 242, India lost early wickets, but Kohli anchored the innings with composure and precision. Forming a crucial partnership with Shreyas Iyer (56), he guided India home with several well-timed strokes and controlled aggression.

“He’s obviously been a champion player for a long, long time. And particularly in the white-ball formats, where he’s been an unbelievably good 50-over player. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli. Now that he’s gone past me and only two ahead of him, I’m sure he would want to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game.

“As long as the hunger’s there, obviously physical-wise, he’s probably as fit as he’s ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game,” said Ponting.

Kohli now just 149 runs behind Sangakkara but over 4,000 short of Tendulkar in the list if most ODI runs in a career, Ponting was asked if the latter’s record was within reach.

“It’s crazy when you think about it, isn’t it? Just how good Virat’s been over such a long period of time, yet he’s still 4,000 runs behind Sachin. It just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game. But with someone like Virat, you never write him off. If the hunger’s still there, then I’m never going to write him off,” Ponting said.