Virat Kohli knows how to make his performance count in big games and challenging run chases. He doesn’t give up no matter how the pitch plays across formats in international cricket. When the chips are down, Kohli comes up with a magnificent of batting. In the first semifinal between India and Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the former skipper was under pressure, having lost captain and vice-captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Kohli took the lead, kept the team in the game, and ensured that the Men in Blue would play in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final.
He scored 84 runs off 98 balls, and the highlight of his innings was 56 singles and just 5 fours. The veteran was rewarded with the Player of the Match award, his second in the ongoing edition of the global event. The 36-year-old added more than 90 runs with Shreyas Iyer, and his partnerships with Axar Patel and KL Rahul were also important. India completed the chase of 265 runs in 48.1 overs in Dubai.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra honoured the best ODI batter with a new title. He hailed Kohli for playing a retro version of the fifty-over format to take revenge on the Aussies, who stunned India in the 2023 World Cup final.
“I would call him Kohlinoor and not Kohinoor because the latter is the bad omen. When he is there in the middle, there is a calmness inside the Indian dressing room and also in the stands. But it is not the the same for the rivals, who fear him,” he said.
“It was out of character the way he got out as he is a star and wants a star in front of his name when the match ends,” he added.
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