"Don't know about the 23-24 year olds" - Virat Kohli reacts to week's break for Team India ahead of next 2025 Champions Trophy match

Team India batting ace Virat Kohli opened up in the post-match presentation about having a week's rest ahead of India's last league stage game against New Zealand in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The 36-year-old won the Player of the Match for his unbeaten century to help India get over the line against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Kohli walked out to bat following Rohit Sharma's dismissal and got off the mark with ones and twos. He later changed gears, scoring boundaries against Haris Rauf and then continuing to pick up runs against the bowling that was on offer. While wickets fell at one end, Kohli held the other and shepherded India to a six-wicket win, India's third over Pakistan in Champions Trophy history.

When asked about a week's break ahead of their next match against New Zealand by Ian Bishop in the post-match presentation, Kohli opened up and said that he wouldn't mind after all the hard yards he had put in today. He said (via Hindustan Times):

"A week off, is it a good thing or otherwise? To be honest, at 36, it's very good. I don't know about the 23-24 year olds, but for me, it's really, really good. I just need to put my feet up for two days because it takes a lot out of me now to keep putting that kind of effort on the field, and I'm just thankful we have a bit of time off now"

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Virat Kohli scored his first ton against Pakistan in Champions Trophy history

Virat Kohli scored his 51st ODI ton - Source: Getty

Virat Kohli is known to have a penchant for scoring runs in matches against Pakistan. The 36-year-old has a fine record against the arch-rivals, scoring 312 runs in six innings in the Men's T20 World Cup and scoring 209 runs in four innings in the Men's ODI World Cup, including a hundred and a half-century.

However, Kohli has only scored one half-century against Pakistan in four appearances in the Champions Trophy. This happens to be his first in the tournament and against Pakistan, eclipsing his best of 96* against Bangladesh in the semi-finals of the 2017 edition.