Abrar ahmed

Dubai International Stadium: India middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer believes the side could have got a much more convincing win over Pakistan in the high-stakes 2025 Champions Trophy clash if they had closed the chase of 242 a bit earlier.

At the sell-out Dubai International Stadium, the talismanic Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 100 – his 51st century in the format - and lead India to a six-wicket win over Pakistan. The comprehensive victory also strengthens India’s chances of entering the semi-finals by completing the chase with 45 balls to spare.

“I think we could have won a bit earlier, could have been a convincing win based on how the wicket was playing. It was initially coming on pretty well with the new ball and after that it was difficult to score runs when the ball got a bit old. But if we would have played more aggressively, we would have won a bit earlier, I felt,” said Iyer, who hit 56 off 67 balls, after the match ended.