Virat Kohli again showed why he is among the all-time great batsmen with a match-winning 84-run knock in India's semi-final encounter against Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025. His masterful and calm batting was the bedrock of India's pursuit of 265, and it kept them on track for a final berth.

Virat Kohli's Performance in the Semi-Final

India faced early setbacks, losing three wickets at 75/3, but Kohli’s resilience turned the game around. His partnership with KL Rahul helped steady the chase as he combined his signature cover drives, quick singles, and calculated aggression to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Key Highlights of Kohli’s Innings:

• Scored 84 runs under pressure
• Built a crucial partnership with KL Rahul
• Controlled the innings with a strike rate of over 90
• Played a combination of classical and forceful strokes

Also See: RCB Unbox Event 2025: A Grand Celebration on March 17!

How Kohli Constructed His Innings

Virat Kohli began cautiously, playing singles and doubles to acclimatize himself. Once he gained confidence, he started playing his signature strokes, particularly his cover drives and flicks through midwicket. His capacity to modify according to the situation and change gears when necessary was instrumental in India's steady march.

Kohli’s Record-Breaking Form in Champions Trophy 2025

Kohli has been in red-hot form throughout the tournament. In an earlier match against Pakistan, he scored an unbeaten century (100)*, marking his 51st ODI hundred. With this feat, Kohli became the fastest batsman to surpass 14,000 ODI runs, overtaking legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.

Kohli’s Impact in Big Matches

Kohli has consistently delivered when most required. He is a proven match-winner, and India owes him at least a handful of matches to have won for her in the ICC events alone.

An example of chasing under pressure can be observed in Virat Kohli’s performance against Australia. His show in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was brilliant, proving that he is still one of the best batsman in the world. Kohli’s experience and brilliance can be expected to lift the trophy once again, as concluded by his performance.

Also See: RCB Unbox Event 2025: A Grand Celebration on March 17!

The legendary wicketkeeper-batter and former India captain MS Dhoni, who is known as the evergreen ‘captain cool,’ turned 43 on Sunday. Dhoni, famous for his calm and brilliant captaincy both in international cricket and the IPL, led Team India to three major ICC trophies. He retired from all forms of cricket on 15 August 2020 ending a remarkable career.

Dhoni’s leadership saw India achieve top honors in all formats. Under his captaincy, India held the top Test ranking for 18 months starting in December 2009, won the One day World Cup in 2011, and secured the T20 world title in 2007 on his captaincy debut.

From ticket collector to cricket icon

Dhoni’s journey is one of the most inspiring in sports history. He went from being a ticket collector at a railway station to becoming India’s most successful captain, leading the team to the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. He made his international debut in 2004 and became known for his aggressive batting, later evolving into a strategic finisher.

Dhoni played 98 T20Is for India, scoring 1,617 runs at an average of 37.60 and a strike rate of 126.13. In Tests, he played 90 matches, scoring 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09, with six centuries and 33 half centuries. He is India’s 14th highest scorer in Tests.

Dhoni’s captaincy and strategic brilliance

As captain, Dhoni led India in 60 Test matches, winning 27, losing 18, and drawing 15, with a win percentage of 45.00. He led India to the number one ranking in ICC Test Rankings and is the only Indian skipper to whitewash Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, achieving this in the 2010-11 and 2012-13 series. He also led Chennai Super Kings to five IPL titles and two Champions League T20 titles.

Dhoni played 264 IPL matches, mostly for CSK, and some for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016-2017. In these matches, he scored 5,243 runs at an average of 39.13, with 24 half-centuries, 152 catches, and 42 stumpings.

With such impressive statistics as a middle-order batter and a captain, it is unlikely that India and world cricket will see another phenomenon like ‘captain cool’ again.