"Bade match ka bada player" - Childhood coach proudly reacts to Virat Kohli's heroics in IND vs AUS 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma hailed the Indian batter as a big-match player after he top-scored with 84 in the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia in Dubai on Tuesday, March 4. Praising his most famous student, Sharma asserted that Kohli's batting gets better as the competition gets tougher.

India beat Australia by four wickets in the first semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Bowling first after losing the toss, the Men in Blue held the Aussies to 264 as Mohammed Shami starred with 3-48. Kohli then guided the chases, scoring a mature 84 off 98 balls, a patient knock that featured only five fours.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Kohli's childhood coach praised the former India captain for again putting his hand up under pressure. Sharma commented:

"He is called King Kohli because I have always said that he is 'bade match ka bada player' (He is a big-match player). He showed that yesterday too. He showed that the tougher the competition, the better her bats. Mentally, he is very strong...Class is permanent, form is temporary. Everyone knows his contribution towards Indian Cricket, they know how many matches he has made the country win."

Apart from Kohli's match-winning knock, Sharma also praised the Indian team for their impressive performance in the Champions Trophy. Backing them to win the final on Sunday, March 9, he stated:

"Team India has performed phenomenally. The atmosphere in the Indian dressing room is really good. Their morale is high and momentum is with India...I am very hopeful that India will definitely win this Champions Trophy."

Chasing 265, India lost openers Shubman Gill for eight and Rohit Sharma for 28. Kohli then added 91 runs for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer (45 off 62). Following the dismissals of the two set batters, KL Rahul took India home with an unbeaten 42 of 34 balls.

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Head coach Gautam Gambhir disagrees with perception of Virat Kohli’s weakness against leg spin

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir also lauded Kohli for his fantastic knock against Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal. Speaking at the post-match press conference, he also disagreed with the observation that the India batting star has a weakness against leg spin. Asked about the same, he replied (via Cricbuzz):

"When you play 300 (301) games, you will end up getting out to some of the spinners. I think he's got a hundred in this competition, he's got a ninety (84) in this competition and eventually when you've got runs in this competition, you will eventually get out to some kind of a bowler. When you've played 300 ODIs, you will eventually get out to certain kind of bowlers, and that's okay."

During the course of his 84 against Australia, Kohli surpassed multiple records. The 36-year-old also broke Sachin Tendulkar's record for most 50-plus scores in ICC ODI events. He has 24 in 53 innings, while Tendulkar had 23 in 58 innings.