Furious Gavaskar schools Virat Kohli after India star strangely blocks PAK fielder's throw: 'He's lucky nobody appealed'

Sunil Gavaskar wasn't too pleased with Virat Kohli as the Indian batter attempted to stop a throw from a Pakistan fielder.

Virat Kohli made a strong start to his innings against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy clash in Dubai, but a particular act from the Indian batter left former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar fuming during the innings. During the 21st over of India's innings, Kohli took a quick single off Haris Rauf, guiding the ball between cover and point. As he reached the crease, Kohli unexpectedly bent down, seemingly attempting to stop the incoming throw.

Virat Kohli strangely blocked a throw from a Pakistan fielder (Hotstar)

The move appeared unusual, as no Pakistan fielder was positioned directly behind him to collect the ball. Babar Azam, who had started to track the throw, was still some distance away, making Kohli's action all the more puzzling.

Gavaskar, reacting to the moment, expressed his displeasure at Kohli. “Nobody is backing up. The fielder at the midwicket would've had to dive, but there was no need for him to interfere with the progress of the ball. He's lucky nobody has appealed,” the former captain said.

Gavaskar hinted at a potential obstructing-the-field dismissal, but Kohli had comfortably reached inside the crease when he stopped the throw.

Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan captain who was on-air with Gavaskar, had praised Kohli's game-awareness in only the previous over, and chuckled as he said, “and here I was, raving about his game-awareness.”

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Kohli, however, had a memorable day in the middle, as he became only the third batter in the history of the game to reach 14000 ODI runs during the match against Pakistan. The batting stalwart required only 15 more runs to reach the feat ahead of the game; he also became the fastest to reach the milestone, surpassing fellow countryman and batting legend, Sachin Tendulkar.

The 36-year-old also broke Mohammad Azharuddin's record for most catches by an outfield player in the same match; Kohli took two catches in the first innings, overtaking Azharuddin's record of 156 catches in the fifty-over format.

Pakistan had opted to bat after winning the toss in Dubai, and were bowled out for 241.