Steve Smith, with a keen understanding of scoring, generously praised one of his great batting rivals. He astutely observed Virat Kohli's extraordinary ability in run chases and gave him high accolades.
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03-06, 2025Virat Kohli may not have led his team to ultimate victory, but the Indian superstar once again orchestrated a run chase, ensuring they defeated Australia in Dubai to advance to the Champions Trophy final. His control and determination displayed during the match were truly impressive.
"He's arguably the best chaser the game has ever seen," Smith said after the match. His assessment is not an exaggeration, as Kohli's statistics in run chases are a testament to his excellence.
Kohli scored 84 in India's chase of 265, and his average in ODI run chases is 64.50, nearly eight runs higher than second-placed South African batsman AB de Villiers. He has also scored a record 28 of his 51 ODI centuries in run chases, 11 more than former India teammate Sachin Tendulkar. Undoubtedly, when India eventually wins a chase, Kohli's average will further improve, reaching an astounding 89.50. He has helped India achieve victory time and time again.
Kohli possesses an incredible ability to shoulder the pressure of the game and accumulate runs. "The key to the game is pressure, especially in big games like semi-finals and finals. If you can get deep into the second half of the innings and you've got enough wickets in hand, the opposition usually crumbles and the game becomes easier," he said after his innings on Tuesday.
One of Kohli's most outstanding skills is his ability to rotate the strike. He has recorded the most singles in ODI history and seems to always find the gaps to prevent opponents from applying pressure. If only the runs Kohli has scored from singles in his 50-over international career (5,870) were counted, he would rank third on England's all-time ODI run-scorers list.
"It's very important to control your emotions as the game progresses," the 36-year-old said. "For me, it's important to know how many overs are left and how many runs are left. Even if (the required run rate) gets to six an over, I don't panic as long as we've got six or seven wickets in hand because you know that two set batsmen can turn the game around, and the opposition can only get into the game with wickets."
Many teams, including England, have developed plans to dismiss him using the fifth stump line, and it has worked in Tests recently. But in ODIs, after the new-ball phase, Kohli averages over 50 against the white ball in the "corridor" outside off stump. If you don't get him out early with that plan, then abandon it.
Kohli was highly efficient in rotating the strike against Australia, with a dot-ball percentage of just 33%. In comparison, New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson had a figure of 57.5% when chasing 250 to beat India at the same venue. Even without hitting boundaries, Kohli maintained a constant flow of runs. He also faced a tricky situation against leg-spin, especially against Australia's biggest threat, Adam Zampa, who had dismissed him five times in previous ODIs. Zampa eventually completed a sixth dismissal, but Kohli had already guided India close to victory. He faced 24 balls from the Australian off-spinner and took a single or a dot from 14 of them. The other two balls were the two shortest balls Kohli received from Zampa, and he seized the opportunity to pull them for four.
Ultimately, the only surprise was that he didn't reach three figures. "When you're not thinking about milestones, they happen naturally on the way to victory," Kohli added. "For me, it's important to win with pride and do the best I can for the team. If I get to three figures, great, if not, nights like these you win, it's a happy change room. Those things don't matter anymore. What matters is stepping up and hopefully doing the job for the team."
