 "Virat Kohli on his match-winning century against Pakistan in Champions Trophy: 'God eventually rewards you'")
Virat Kohli aced yet another chase on Sunday as India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in their ICC Champions Trophy Group A match in Dubai. The batting superstar smashed an unbeaten 100 to help the Men in Blue seal their place in the semi-finals of the Mini World Cup, with hosts and defending champions Pakistan on the brink of a first-round exit.
Champions Trophy 2025: News | Schedule | Results | Points Table
After helping India chase down the 242-run target with six wickets and nearly eight overs to spare, Kohli said it was the “clarity” of his role as well as his ability to keep “outside noise” away that helped him bounce back from an extended slump and help his team pull off one of their more satisfying wins in recent memory.
Kohli credits his ability to keep ‘outside noise away’
“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. 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,” Kohli said during the post-match presentation ceremony following India’s victory.
“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 per cent every ball in the field, and then God eventually rewards you. Having clarity is important, it was important to understand that you need to get runs when there is pace on the ball, otherwise the spinners can dictate things,” he added.
India dressing room was hardly surprised, says Rohit
Skipper Rohit Sharma (20 off 15 balls), whose promising start on Sunday was ended by a searing yorker from left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi that breached through his defence and crashed into the stumps, said those in the Indian dressing room were hardly surprised by Kohli’s latest knock.
“Virat loves representing the country, doing what he does the best, which is what he did today. People sitting inside the dressing room aren’t surprised with what he did,” said the ‘Hitman’ during the presentation ceremony.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRohit also heaped praise on the bowling department for restricting the Men in Green to a total less than 250 after they appeared destined for a 300-plus score at one point.
“We started superbly with the ball. We knew wicket could get slower but backed our experienced batters to go out there and get 240. Credit goes to Kuldeep, Axar, Jadeja al who have played a lot. Rizwan and Saud stitched a good stand, was important not to let the game drift. Not to forget how Shami, Hardik, Harshit bowled as well.
“It was a good performance from the entire unit. Boys understand what kind of job is required out of them. It’s tricky at times because not all will get a bowl. I try to figure out who’s creating the most problems to the batters and make decisions,” Rohit added.
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