Virat Kohli made a remarkable return to form on Sunday, delivering a match-winning century against Pakistan that served as a strong rebuttal to any skeptics. In the highly anticipated encounter during the 2025 Champions Trophy, Kohli secured the victory with a boundary, finishing with an unbeaten score of 100. This achievement marked his 51st career century, extending his record, and was his sixth in ICC ODI tournaments, fourth against Pakistan, and his first in this particular event.

Since Sunday evening, the cricketing world has showered Kohli with accolades, but the most significant recognition came from the Pakistani media, which praised his exceptional performance across various platforms.

The leading English newspaper Dawn featured the headline: "Champions Trophy: Virat Does a Kohli Powers India to Easy Win Over Pakistan." While the article noted Pakistan's failure to set a competitive total, a feature piece in the same publication titled "5 takeaways as India exposes Pakistan's 50-over frailties yet again" offered a profound tribute to the "all-time great," asserting that no cricketer, not even the legendary Wasim Akram or Imran Khan, has influenced an India-Pakistan match as significantly as Kohli.

The article stated, "The ultimate compliment we can reluctantly extend to this all-time great is that throughout the history of India-Pakistan cricket encounters, no other player from either side has made a more substantial impact than him. Not Imran Khan, not Wasim Akram, not Waqar Younis, nor anyone else."

Additionally, the piece referred to Kuldeep Yadav as the "real bogeyman" for Pakistan, remarking, "he has developed a preference for Pakistan that rivals even Kohli's." On Sunday, the leg-spinner achieved three wickets in nine overs.

How have other Pakistan media publications reacted?

A prominent news outlet, Geo News, featured the headline 'Kohli Shines as Pakistan Falls Short in Crucial Champions Trophy Match Against India,' highlighting the significance of Kohli's remarkable performance in India's pursuit. Conversely, The Express Tribune opted to emphasize the result of the match, reporting, 'Champions Trophy: India Dominates Pakistan, Likely Ending the Reign of the Defending Champions.'

With their place in the semifinal secured, India is set to face New Zealand a week later, on March 2, in Dubai.

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