Kohli Century sets up India victory against arch-rivals Pakistan

Pakistan's batsmen suffered a collapse while trying to register their first victory against India in world cup games, getting bowling out 224 runs, 76 runs short of the target that India set for them. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq scored a fighting 76 from 84 balls, but the other batsmen were not able to rotate the strike, as pressure began to get the better of the players.

Two of Pakistan's more aggressive batsmen, Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal, were both out for ducks, leading to a collapse from 102-2 to 103-5, one which Pakistan was never able to recover from. Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail batted well to score 47 and 36 respectively, but could not go on to make the big score that Pakistan needed to chase down the competitive total.

Earlier in the day, India won the toss and captain MS Dhoni was elected to bat first. His openers got off to a slow and cautious start, possibly because they have not won a single game in Australia despite being in the host country for more than three months.

Yet, a solid century from Kohli, who is becoming one of the most formidable batsmen in the world, and quickfire half centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina helped India set a competitive total of 301, for Pakistan to win the game.

Kohli survived two changes, first when he was dropped by wrist spinner Yasir Shah in the deep, and then by wicketkeeper Umar Akmal behind the stumps. He made sure the Pakistanis would pay for their drops, going on to make his 22^nd century in the all-important encounter.

Pakistan started off poorly with the ball, unable to penetrate India's batting line up. They did well to restrict India to just 300, with their arch-rivals having set a good foundation to score an even more impressive total. Sohail Khan, a surprise selection, who was playing his first international match since 2011, bowled with good control, managing to pick up his first five-wicket haul for the green caps.

India plays their next game against South Africa on 22^nd February, while Pakistan take on West Indies on the 21^st.