Dubai, Feb 24: Virat Kohli provides unmatched stability to the Indian team, according to former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who felt the superstar batter displayed exceptional composure under pressure during his century against Pakistan.
Kohli’s majestic unbeaten century was the backbone of India’s six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
“Virat Kohli has shown how to handle the pressure and how to play for the country. Through his outstanding innings, Virat has won many hearts and the match for the country,” former BCCI President Thakur told PTI.
“If you look at Virat’s innings, he never went outright for the century. For him, the priority was India’s win. He was rotating the strike, not going for his own runs only.
“He wanted to play till the last and win the match for India.That is a big thing about Kohli. For big players like him individual innings is not very important, it’s country’s victory that matters,” he added.
After India’s bowlers restricted Pakistan to an underwhelming 241, Kohli stitched match-winning partnerships with Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill to chase down the target with 45 balls to spare.
“Kohli’s century was simply fabulous. The way he scored his century. The way he provided stability to Indian team, nobody can do it,” Shukla said.
“Shreyas & Gill also played very well. The Indian team is back to full form. All the players were fully fit and they were ready to take on Pakistan. And they did it in style. The team looks well oiled for the finals,” he added.
Kohli’s century, his 51st in ODIs, was laced with seven boundaries.
“The entire country was waiting for Virat to score a century. The way he played today, it was a fantastic innings to watch,” IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal said.
“I am pretty sure that IPL has played a major role in India’s good show at the ICC tournaments. Look at the bench strength. Not just for Indian cricket, IPL has changed the cricket world over.
“That’s the change of attitude that has happened over the years. That has made cricket very interesting and that is why you have new audience hooking on to cricket. It augurs well for the game,” he added.
