'Do not go into desperate situation' - Virat Kohli reveals success mantra to pull off run chases after India qualify for Champions Trophy final

Virat Kohli, popularly touted as the modern day chase master, was seen at his best yet again, as India knocked Australia out of the Champions Trophy 2025 in the first semi-final on Tuesday, March 04. Kohli, who anchored with 84 off 98 balls, was also adjudged Player of the Match as India booked their place in the finals of the eight-team tournament, which will be played in Dubai.

Addressing on his tendency to win the games for the team with the bat, Kohli said that he has been able to keep scoring and leading the Men in Blue to victory, only because he loves playing cricket, and loves batting even more.

"I just love playing the game man. I just love batting. As long as the joy of batting and the love for batting is alive,
then all the other things kind of take care of themselves. Do not go into a desperate situation and put your head down. And just keep working towards what the team wants. More often than not, you'll have results like these," Kohli told BCCI.

"For me, now at this stage of my career, it's all about, you know, just getting up for these games, getting excited, coming out here, hopefully doing the job for the team and working as hard as I can, run hard between the wickets and play according to the demands of the situation. So, when all those things come together and comes off, you obviously feel really good. And to get the team across the line, it's a great feeling," the Delhi-born added.

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Chasing the 265-run target wasn't as easy as it looked after India lost both the openers inside the first powerplay. Kohli was then joined by Shreyas Iyer (45 runs), which bailed the team out of trouble. Kohli believes that an important partnership with Iyer, followed by a brilliant unbeaten 42 by KL Rahul, also hitting the last run to seal a finale spot for Rohit Sharma & Co.

"As a team, you feel great when people keep stepping up through the innings. When it's a team victory, obviously it feels amazing. Hardik hit those two crucial shots at a kind of a nervous point for us. KL batted outstandingly to close the game off. Shreyas had a great partnership with me. For us, it's the all-around effort that counts. People are in a great space. And then you qualify for the finals, you have a couple of days off, so everything to look forward to," he said further.