He also spoke about the importance of staying focused and ignoring outside pressure
24 February, 2025
PHOTO: AFP
Indian star batter Virat Kohli was delighted after leading his team to a six-wicket win over Pakistan in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Kohli, who had not scored a century since his 2023 World Cup semi-final ton against New Zealand, made a strong comeback in a high-pressure game. His unbeaten 100 off 111 balls guided India to victory and earned him the Player of the Match award.
Coming in at number three after India lost Rohit Sharma early, Kohli played a steady innings and built a crucial 114-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer. He was pleased to contribute in an important match that also helped India move closer to the semi-finals.
"To be honest, it feels good to be able to bat in that manner in an important game to seal qualification. Feels good to contribute in a game where we lost Rohit early, had to put in the understanding of what we learnt in the last game," Kohli said after the match.
Kohli praised Iyer for his attacking approach, which allowed him to play his natural game in the middle overs.
"My job was to control the middle overs against the spinners without taking too many risks. Towards the end, Shreyas accelerated, and I got a few boundaries as well. It allowed me to play my usual ODI game," he said.
He also spoke about the importance of staying focused and ignoring outside pressure.
"I have a decent understanding of my game. It is about keeping the outside noise away, staying in my space, and taking care of my energy levels and thoughts. Very easy to get pulled into the expectations. My job is to stay in the present and do a job for the team. My keynotes to myself are to put my 100% every ball in the field, and then God eventually rewards you," Kohli added.
He credited Shubman Gill for taking on Pakistan’s pace attack in the powerplay, especially against Shaheen Shah Afridi, which helped India chase comfortably.
"Shubman did well against Shaheen, took him up. There’s a reason he’s the number one batter in the world. It was necessary to get about 60-70 runs in the powerplay, or we’d always be chasing the game," Kohli explained.
He also praised Iyer’s performance at number four, saying, "Shreyas is really coming into his own at number 4. Did well in India, and now out here as well."
With a week’s break before India’s next match, Kohli looked forward to some rest.
"To be honest, at 36, it feels really good. Will put my feet up for a few days as it takes a lot out of me to put that kind of effort into every game," he concluded.
