World
India
In a high-stakes encounter of the ICC Champions Trophy, Virat Kohli delivered a scintillating performance against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, steering India to a convincing victory. Kohli’s unbeaten 100 off 111 balls, adorned with seven boundaries, not only guided India to a comfortable chase of 241 but also etched his name in the record books once again.
Reflecting on his composed yet aggressive innings, Kohli emphasized his focus on maintaining clarity and shutting out external noise. “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. My job is to stay in the present and do a job for the team. My keynotes to myself are to put my 100 per cent on every ball in the field, and then God eventually rewards you,” Kohli said after the match.
Kohli credited his batting partners for helping shape his innings. He acknowledged Shreyas Iyer’s role in accelerating towards the end and praised Shubman Gill for countering Shaheen Afridi’s early threat. “There’s a reason he is the number-one batter in the world. It was necessary to get about 60-70 runs in the powerplay, or we would always be chasing the game,” he added.
Virat Kohli keeps adding to his greatness 👊#ChampionsTrophy #PAKvIND ✍️: https://t.co/Xznber5ZVT pic.twitter.com/yo9IbtzNvS
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— ICC (@ICC) February 23, 2025
This remarkable knock also saw Kohli surpass Australian legend Ricky Ponting to become the third-highest run-scorer in international cricket history. With 27,503 runs across formats at an average of 52.38, Kohli now trails only Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara in the all-time run charts. He also joined an elite club of batters with 14,000 ODI runs, a feat previously achieved only by Tendulkar and Sangakkara.
Kohli’s dominance over Pakistan continued, as he now boasts 778 runs in 17 ODIs against them at an impressive average of 59.84, including four centuries. His latest century in the ICC Champions Trophy was his sixth in ICC ODI events, tying him with Sachin Tendulkar for the most 50-plus scores in such tournaments (23).
At 36, Kohli admitted that the intensity of his game takes a toll on his body, stating, “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.” With India now gearing up for a crucial clash against New Zealand, Kohli’s stellar form will be vital in the team’s quest for ICC silverware. As millions of fans across the globe tuned in to witness another India-Pakistan cricketing spectacle, Kohli once again proved why he remains one of the greatest batters of all time.
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