Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli made history by surpassing Mohammad Azharuddin’s tally of 156 catches, becoming the Indian fielder with the most catches in ODI cricket.

Kohli reached this milestone during the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash in the ongoing Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday. His record-breaking moment came in the 47th over when he took a tricky low catch to dismiss Naseem Shah off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling. With this, the 36-year-old registered his 157th ODI catch, extending his record to 158 by the end of the innings, surpassing Azharuddin’s long-standing tally.

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At 222/7, Pakistan’s Naseem Shah attempted to display his big-hitting skills but mistimed a shot against ‘Chinaman’ bowler Kuldeep Yadav, sending the ball towards Kohli, who remained composed to complete a difficult low catch. Kohli took his second catch of the match in the final over when Harshit Rana bowled a short delivery, enticing Khushdil Shah to go for a big shot. However, Khushdil only managed to find Kohli’s safe hands at deep mid-wicket.

With this accomplishment, Kohli further solidified his legacy as one of India’s finest fielders. He now leads the list of most ODI catches by an Indian fielder, followed by Azharuddin (156), Sachin Tendulkar (140), Rahul Dravid (124), and Suresh Raina (102).

On the global stage, Kohli’s tally of 158 catches places him third among outfielders in ODI history, trailing only Mahela Jayawardene (218) and Ricky Ponting (160).

His outstanding fielding performance played a crucial role in India’s disciplined bowling effort, restricting Pakistan to a modest 241-run total. Key contributions from Saud Shakeel (62 off 76 balls), Mohammad Rizwan (46 off 77), and Khushdil Shah (38 off 39) helped Pakistan post a competitive score.

India will now aim to capitalize on this momentum as they chase the target in the second innings.