Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu is convinced that Virat Kohli will still play for two-three years more after he scored a magnificent century against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 Group A match in Dubai on Sunday (February 23). Kohli roared back in form in the crucial clash and helped India easily chase down the 242-run target. Kohli breached the triple-digit mark with a boundary, which also sealed India’s win and a semi-final spot.
Kohli, who had been going through a rough patch in the past few games, took charge over the Pakistan bowlers early in the game with a couple of cover drives, which instilled confidence in him.
Sidhu lauded Kohli’s character and said his brilliant knock against Pakistan convinced him that the batter would surely add 10 to 15 tons more to his tally.
“Character is not made in a crisis, it is exhibited. This is a man (Virat Kohli) with pedigree, with passion. And after this 100, I can say it with conviction that this man is playing for the next 2 or 3 years and he is getting another 10 to 15 hundreds. That, you take it from me. Because, you see, the ultimate litmus test for anyone is how he goes through the adverse times, how he embraces adversity. Last six months, there has been so much going on that he chose his moment. When he scored runs against Pakistan, people are not going to forget it for 10 years,” Sidhu said on JioStar Network.
Kohli hit 7 boundaries during his 111-ball 100* and relied heavily on rotating strikes to put pressure on the Pakistan fielders throughout the chase. En route to his 51st ODI ton, Kohli also became the third batter in international cricket to score 14000 ODI runs.
Sidhu further discussed Kohli’s imperious cover drive, saying he connected a couple early in the innings. It was a clinical example of him getting back to his old self.
“Look, when you assess Virat Kohli, what is his trademark? If I look at Sachin Tendulkar, it was always the back foot punch that he would give. Look at Gavaskar, the straight drive. When you look at Virat Kohli, it’s the cover drive. And when he gets his head on top of the ball and he’s cover driving beautifully, you know he’s back. If you look at the initial part of his innings, if you look at these drives, you know that this is the Virat Kohli of old,” he added.
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