5 Indian players who used the Champions Trophy as a launchpad

#3 Virat Kohli: ICC Champions Trophy, 2009

Virat Kohli finished on 79* against West Indies in the ICC Champions Trophy 2009

The poster boy of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli also found fame from the Champions Trophy. Kohli’s moment of reckoning came in 2009 when he got a half-century in an otherwise dull game against West Indies. As he has so consistently done since 2012, Kohli stitched together a vital stand to fashion an Indian win. A young Kohli finished on 79* and the seeds of success were sown. Later in the year, he cracked his maiden ODI ton, which came while chasing 316.

Ever since, sublime cover drives and delightful pulls have been flowing from Kohli’s blade regularly. His exploits while chasing have been especially splendid, and he confirmed his greatness in the longer format with four centuries in Australia in 2014-15.

A rarely seen orthodox technique in the modern day, Kohli has the ability to accelerate as well as build an innings. In the final of the 2013 Champions Trophy, it was Kohli’s 34-ball 43 which rescued India from trouble, as they won by 5 runs. And this time in 2017, he set the tone with an unbeaten 81* against Pakistan.