“A very good problem solver” - Former RCB coach reacts to Virat Kohli’s match-winning century in IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach Mike Hesson described Virat Kohli as a very good problem solver after the Indian batter’s ton in the 2025 Champions Trophy match against Pakistan on Sunday, February 23. Hesson praised Kohli for remaining committed to the cover drive despite being dismissed playing the stroke on a few occasions in recent times.

Kohli was the Player of the Match for his 100* off 111 balls as India beat Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday. Chasing 242, the former India captain guided the innings, hitting seven fours in a mature knock.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, former RCB coach Hesson hailed Kohli for remaining committed to his game plan. He elaborated:

“He just remained committed to his game plan. The cover drives, obviously, are a big part of his game, and he trusts that shot. Occasionally, you can get out to that shot, and then you start to doubt it. He committed to the cover drive early on, and then from there his game evolved."

“I mean, he's always been one of the best players of pace around. So once they can't bowl that hard length as he hits it through the offside, they have to start searching for other options. It was a bit of a masterclass in terms of controlling the chase. And, you know, we saw another example of Virat being a very good problem solver,” he added.

The 50-year-old added that every time critics start wondering whether Kohli’s career is nearing its end, the ace batter produces something special like he did on Sunday. Hesson commented:

“Virat continues to do it, doesn't he? Whenever people start to question whether it might be, you know, nearing the end, he just reminds us why he averages 58 in ODI cricket. I guess last night was just another example of a masterful chase in a pressure cooker environment. You wouldn't expect anything less from a player like Virat.”

During his knock on Sunday, Kohli also became the fastest player to reach 14,000 ODI runs. Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234) are the only ones with more runs in the one-day format.

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“It's a catch-22” - Virat Kohli on playing the cover drive

Speaking after his match-winning knock against Pakistan, Kohli admitted that the cover drive is his strength as well as his weakness. He explained that he backed himself to play the stroke because doing so gave him a sense of control. The 36-year-old told BCCI:

"It's a catch-22. I mean, it's (cover drive) kind of been my weakness as well over the years, but I've scored a lot of runs on that shot. I think today [Sunday] was just about backing my shots, and I think the first couple of boundaries I got were cover drives on the rise, so I really had to just let it go a little bit and take a bit of risk and follow through with my shots. Because when I hit that kind of shots, then I feel in control when I bat out there.”

Kohli has now scored 14,085 in 299 ODI matches at an average of 58.20 and a strike rate of 93.41, with 51 hundreds and 73 half-centuries.