“I just don’t feel we attacked him enough” - Former Australia captain’s take on Virat Kohli ahead of IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy final

Former Australia captain and World Cup winner Michael Clarke has termed star India batter Virat Kohli as the best ODI player of all time ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy final. India and New Zealand will play the final of the marquee ICC event on Sunday, March 9, in Dubai.

Talking about the semifinal between India and Australia, Clarke pointed out that the only way Australia could have won that game was by bowling India out. He added that Australia missed some opportunities and particularly did not attack Virat Kohli enough.

Kohli was dropped during his knock as he went on to score a match-winning 84 to help the Men in Blue get past the line.

"We had to bowl India out to win the game. If they bat 50 overs they are going to chase those runs. It's just simple as that. I think we missed some opportunities at the start just not to maybe bring the field in a bit tighter and attack a bit more. Virat Kohli. What an absolute freak, he's the best one-day player I have ever seen.

"His record tells you he's the best chaser in the game. So very simple, if you get Virat Kohli out, you have a massive chance of winning the game. We dropped him on 50 and I just don't feel we attacked him enough," he said on the 'Beyond23 Cricket Podcast'.

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"Virat Kohli is controlling that ship," says Clarke while praising India's approach in the 2025 Champions Trophy

In the same episode, Michael Clarke praised India for their approach in the ongoing Champions Trophy. He spoke about India's attitude to try and win every game, saying that New Zealand needed to follow the same if they want to win the final.

"Someone's going to win, someone's going to lose. But I am going to try and win. If that means we lose so be it. If New Zealand can have that attitude (they can win), I think India have had that attitude the entire tournament. They know conditions well. They've got match-winners. They are not scared to take a risk," Clarke opined.

Clarke also talked about the other Indian batters, praising the middle order.

"Rohit Sharma the captain, the way he is batting. He's probably not at his best but he's taken maximum risk because he knows that is what's best for the team. Virat Kohli's controlling that ship. Their middle order has so much power. Shreyas Iyer the way he played, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul - not fearing getting out. So they are playing finest cricket. New Zealand need to do the same," he reflected.