Batting maestro Virat Kohli lived up to the 'Chase Master' tag given to him as he played a masterful knock to rally India to a four-wicket win over Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal at the Dubai International stadium on March 4.
Despite Kohli's superlative knock India's head coach Gautam Gambhir was asked about Kohli's struggle against spin. Gautam Gambhir strongly refuted a journalist's suggestion that Virat Kohli has a vulnerability against leg-spin bowling. This reaction followed Kohli's match-winning performance in Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final, where he scored a crucial 84 runs off 98 balls, guiding India to four-wicket win over Australia in their 265-run chase. This innings added another successful run chase to Kohli's impressive record and secured India's place in the final.
Gautam Gambhir schools Journalist on being asked about Virat Kohli's spin struggles
During the post-match press conference, a journalist quizzed about how Kohli had overcome his alleged weakness against leg-spinners to deliver such a decisive performance. Gambhir responded sharply, dismissing the notion and asserting that after playing over 300 ODIs, any batter is statistically likely to be dismissed by a particular type of bowler at some point. He effectively shut down the implication of a persistent weakness in Kohli's batting.
“Buddy, when you play 300 games, you will end up getting out to some of the spinners. So that’s okay, he’s got a hundred in this competition, he’s got an 80 in this competition. When you’ve got runs in this competition, you will eventually get out to some kind of a bowler. So, rather than dissecting and bisecting that he’s got out to leg spin. I think when you play 300 ODIs you will eventually get out to a certain kind of bowler and that’s okay,” said Gambhir in the post-match press conference.
Notably, Kohli has been dismissed by spin bowlers 77 times in his ODI career, maintaining an average of 44.58 against them. Notably, he has faced challenges against leg-spin in recent times, particularly against England's Adil Rashid, who has dismissed him five times in ODIs. However, Kohli's current form in the Champions Trophy 2025 has been exceptional, positioning him as the tournament's third-highest run-scorer.
He has amassed 217 runs in four innings, averaging an impressive 72.33 with a strike rate of 83.14. His standout performance includes a brilliant century against Pakistan, which played a crucial role in India's successful chase of 242. Looking ahead, Kohli will undoubtedly be motivated to deliver another outstanding performance in the final, aiming to contribute to India's pursuit of their third Champions Trophy title.
India's pursuit of Australia's 264 India didn't get off to a decent start. After losing Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma early, it was Kohli who took the onus of India's chase on his responsible shoulder. Kohli stepped up, forming a crucial partnership with Shreyas Iyer to stabilise the innings. Kohli's composed 84 runs served as the backbone of the chase, and he forged vital partnerships with Iyer, Axar Patel, and KL Rahul, steadily guiding India closer to victory. The Indian team ultimately secured the win in the 49th over. Following this performance, India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, had high praise for Virat Kohli's contribution.
"He is a phenomenal one-day cricketer. He knows how to plan his runs, he knows how to plan whether we are batting first or chasing, he adapts to the conditions really quickly, and that is why experienced and high-quality players are very important," Gambhir concluded.
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