Dubai (UAE), February 24: India’s batting legend Virat Kohli opened up about his match-winning performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against Pakistan, where he scored his 82nd international century, reaching a milestone of 14,000 runs in ODI cricket.
Kohli, known for his impeccable cover drive, described it as a “catch-22” situation. While the shot has been his strength, it has also been his weakness over the years. However, during his innings, he backed his instincts and played his signature shot with confidence. “It’s kind of been my weakness as well over the years, but I’ve scored a lot of runs on that shot,” he said. Reflecting on his knock, Kohli explained, “The first couple of boundaries I got were cover drives on the rise, so I really had to just let it go a little bit and take a bit of risk and follow through with my shots… when I hit that kind of shots, then I feel in control when I bat out there.”
The former India captain went on to add that his main focus while batting at number three is to place the team in a strong position, minimize risks, and chase down targets if the opportunity arises. “My role over the years has remained the same, whatever the demand of the game, I put my head down and try to do that,” Kohli shared.
Kohli’s unbeaten 100* off 111 balls, which featured seven boundaries, played a crucial role in India’s comfortable victory over Pakistan. His knock came at a strike rate of 90.09, helping India chase down Pakistan’s total of 241 with six wickets and 45 balls to spare. This was Kohli’s sixth century in ICC ODI events and his first-ever in the ICC Champions Trophy.
With this century, Kohli became the third cricketer in history to reach the 14,000-run mark in ODIs, following Sachin Tendulkar (18,426 runs) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234 runs). In 299 ODIs, Kohli has now scored 14,085 runs at an average of 58.20, with 51 centuries and 73 fifties.