Captain Kohli hails Yuvraj Singh as India rout Pakistan in Champions Trophy opener

India captain Virat Kohli praised Yuvraj Singh’s “game-changing” quality after seeing his side launch their Champions Trophy title-defence with a 124-run rout of arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Of the four batsmen that came to the crease as India piled up 319 for three in their rain-reduced 48 overs, three – Rohit Sharma (91), Kohli (81 not out) and Shikhar Dhawan (68) – all made more than Yuvraj’s 53.

Yet the way the experienced left-hander – Sunday’s match was his 297th one-day international – took just 32 balls to score his runs saw the 35-year-old named man-of-the-match.

His speed of scoring gave Kohli, who initially struggled for fluency, time to find his touch during a third-wicket partnership of 93 in 59 balls that took a game of several rain interruptions away from Pakistan.

In the end, Kohli was in complete command as India scored an astounding 72 runs in their last four overs, with Hardik Pandya hitting three successive sixes off left-arm spinner Imad Wasim just before the innings ended.

Yet some of Yuvraj’s shots were breathtaking, particularly the way in which he drove a near yorker from paceman Hasan Ali down the ground for one of his eight fours.