Indian great Virat Kohli once again proved why he is regarded as the king of the chase, playing yet another crucial knock to guide India to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy defeating Australia.

Chasing 265 is never easy on the tricky Dubai surface, but when Kohli plays like he usually does, it becomes easy. His innings featured just five boundaries, but it was his ability to rotate the strike and build partnerships that stood out.

“I was not feeling desperate, and I was pretty happy knocking ones around,” Kohli said after the match.

“And when, as a batter, you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that is when you know you are playing good cricket and know you are in for a big partnership. It settles down the nerves. That was the most pleasing factor for me today,” as he quoted by the ICC.

While chasing 265, India suffered early setbacks losing the openers cheaply. They were reeling at 43 for two. But that was the point when Kohli stood strong, and stretched important partnerships with Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and KL Rahul to guide India to the track.

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The Dubai pitch has made life difficult for batters throughout the tournament, forcing teams to rely heavily on spinners. India’s bowling unit, led by their spin trio, kept Australia in check, bowling them out for 264 in the final over. 

“For me it is about understanding the conditions, preparing my game accordingly, rotating strike,” Kohli said. “Big partnerships on this pitch are the most important thing and my effort today was to string enough partnerships [together]. The pitch tells me how the cricket needs to be played and then I just switch on and play accordingly.” 

While Kohli missed out on a century, he insisted milestones were never his focus.

“For me, it is all about taking pride and doing the job for the team. If I get to the three-figure mark then great. If not, on nights like these, you win, it is a happy dressing room,” he said after the match.

India will now face winners of the second semifinal— either New Zealand or South Africa— in the final aiming to lift their third Champions Trophy title.