Champions Trophy 2025: King Kohli scripts escape to victory- MyKhel Opinion

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The Men In Blue showed the Aussies their place and stormed into the Champions Trophy final in Dubai on Tuesday. Riding on the effulgence of Virat Kohli's 84 runs and bolstered by punchy knocks from Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and hard-hitting Hardik Pandya, India got their revenge back.

After all, the loss to the Aussies in the ICC World Cup final on November 19, 2023 has not gone. Tonight, it was wiped out as King Kohli showed how he is still so valuable to Indian cricket.

There are trolls on social media who could have taken a toll on Kohli. As it got tougher, Kohli showed mettle and melted the hearts of millions with one more knock. It was defining, it was momentous and above all, it was a reminder of how Kohli can single-handedly win a match for India.

Hearts craved for a ton from him but a bit of bad luck and bad timing saw him lose his wicket to Adam Zampa. What Kohli had produced was like old wine, mellow and yet dominating. He left that smooth taste lingering. There was aura, not arrogance, there was sheen not sparkle. In the end, Kohli alone almost set up this win for India as chasing under lights was fraught with risks.

Each partnership Kohli stitched was designer stuff. If he hung in with Shreyas Iyer, whose artisan approach is so important for India, Kohli then had to hang on. He saw wickets fall at the other end as well, before KL Rahul came in to produce a gem of an innings.

He has now ensured that as a choice ahead of Rishabh Pant, in batting and wicket-keeping, he stands ahead. Yet, Rahul was also the man in the mood as he stood in the middle with demolition man Hardik Pandya.

The chase was getting stiff, looking at it from outside. There was need for acceleration and both Rahul and Pandya realised it. Dot balls were becoming a problem and Pandya then set it up.

The three sixes he smashed, all straight and long, with Zampa coming for special treatment was sheer entertainment. This one knock from Pandya showed that India has an all-rounder who can bludgeon the rival attack. By any yardstick, he is the all-rounder India needs badly.

Earlier, the Indian bowling, led by Mohammed Shami was defining as the Men in Blue restricted the Aussies to 264. Shami bowled full length deliveries and took two wickets.

With four spinners in operation for Team India and Varun Chakaravarthy proving his presence again, the Rohit Sharma-led side had the Aussies on a leash. For those who have been feeling bad about India losing to Aussies in big matches, the revenge on Tuesday was sweet. Now it is certain, the final will be played in Dubai on Sunday, March 9. More egg on face for hosts Pakistan.