Dubai, Feb 24, 2025-
India star batter Virat Kohli’s majestic ton led the side to massive six-wicket win over Pakistan and also booked their berth for semis in the ICC Champions Trophy. Kohli, who had a wonderful Sunday outing in Dubai, took India over the line with a boundary to score his 51st ODI hundred.
It was also a perfect occasion for Kohli to stamp authority on his famous cover drive during the innings in which he scored seven fours. Off late, the right-hander had been struggling to play a cover drive and was dismissed on multiple occasions in an attempt to play that shot.
Shedding light on his cover drive, Kohli said he backed his shots early to gain confidence in the blockbuster encounter.
“It is a catch 22. It has been my kind of weakness as well over the years but I have scored lot of runs off that shots. I think today was just about backing my shots. I think the first couple of boundaries I got were cover drives on the rise so l really had to just let it go little bit, take a risk and follow through with my shots,” Kohli said in a video posted by bcci.tv.
“When I hit those kind of shots, then I feel in control. It was a good innings for me personally. It was great team work,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kohli also became the fastest batter to complete 14,000 ODI runs and most of which came while batting at no.3. “I was able to bat the way I wanted to bat and contribute in a winning cause. It obviously feels great. It was imperative to get stuck in and get this win to be able to qualify,” the 36-year-old said.
“One thing that I always thought of batting at no.3 is to minimise the risk and make sure I put my team in a winning position. If you have a chance to finish off the game in a run chase, then it is much better. I always prefer that kind of a situation. My role over the years has remained the same. Whatever the demands of the game, I put my head down and try to do that,” he added.
“The occasion is always a bit more lively when you play against Pakistan especially in this region, because you have an equal number of fans from both countries. It was a great day for us as a team and personally as well,” he signed off.
India will next take on New Zealand in their final Group A fixture on March 2.(Agency)
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