Virat Kohli proved he is not a spent force yet as India's batting stalwart produced a match-winning hundred in a Champions Trophy humdinger against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai.
Kohli's unbeaten 100 helped India pull off a potentially tricky chase of 242 to register their second successive win of the tournament and inch closer to a semi-final berth while virtually eliminating Pakistan.
During the course of his 51st ODI hundred, the 36-year-old Kohli also became only the third cricketer - after compatriot Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara - to complete 14,000 runs in this format.
"It feels good to be able to back in that manner in an important game where we wanted to [effectively] seal our qualification into the semis," Kohli said.
"My job was pretty clear - to control the middle overs, to try and go after the seam bowlers and not take too many risks against the spinners but keep rotating strike. It was more or less the way I play ODI cricket. So I was happy with the template."
After India lost captain Rohit Sharma in the fifth over, Kohli steadied the innings first with Shubman Gill (46) and then with Shreyas Iyer (56).
Kohli quit T20 Internationals immediately after India won the 20-overs World Cup last year but has struggled for runs in Test cricket. In a high-pressure game against arch-rivals Pakistan, Kohli was back in his elements anchoring a successful chase.
"I have a decent understanding of my game," he said. "It's about keeping the outside noise away, take care of my energy levels and thoughts. It's easy for me to get pulled into expectations and frenzy around games like these."
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan said his respect for Kohli had rocketed. "I wonder how hard he would have worked when the whole world was saying he is out of form but coming into a match, which is awaited by the world, he scores runs easily," said Rizwan. "I praise his hard work and fitness."
AGENCIES
Virat Kohli anchored India''s chase with his 51st ODI century. AP
