Champions Trophy 2025: Virat Kohli breaks Rahul Dravid’s record of most catches by an Indian outfielder

With his fielding during the first innings of India vs. Australia in the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4, Virat Kohli set a significant milestone in addition to his many batting records.

In the 27th over, Virat Kohli caught Josh Inglis, marking a major accomplishment.

In his career, the former captain of India made one of the easiest catches. The Australian batsman-wicketkeeper went for a backhand punch to Ravindra Jadeja but found Kohli at cover. It was India’s fourth wicket of the day after the easy dismissal.

But for Kohli, it was an even more memorable moment as he broke the record of 334 catches made by an Indian outfielder in all forms by former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid. During his 549th international outing, Kohli accomplished this feat.

With the catch, Kohli also passed former Australia captain Ricky Ponting (160) for the second-most catches recorded by an outfielder in One-Day Internationals. After finishing his remarkable career with 218 catches, Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardena is currently the only player behind Kohli.

Australia is dismissed for 264, and Mohammed Shami scores three runs.

Steve Smith chose to bat first on Tuesday after winning the toss, and Travis Head gave Australia a blazing start. Head took his time to comprehend the terms, and Cooper Connolly, his new opening partner, was sent off for a duck.

After a 50-run partnership between Smith and Head, Head left after scoring 39 off 33 balls. With their strong batting performances, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne attempted to provide Australia a strong foundation. However, the latter failed to turn his start into a significant score, as Jadeja removed him for 29.

Prior to Smith and Carey joining forces, Inglis fell for eleven. On 58 deliveries, they added 54 runs, putting Australia in a strong position. But India turned the tide back in their favor, dismissing Smith and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession.

73 off 96 balls was a patient score for Smith. But Carey was the finest batter the Australians had to offer, smashing 61 off 57 balls on a challenging surface. Mohammed Shami was eventually knocked out for 264 in 49.3 overs, with statistics of 3/48 in 10 overs.