“I never feel that he’s struggling for runs” - Indian batter’s huge statement on Virat Kohli after century in IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match

Team India batter Shreyas Iyer praised Virat Kohli for his incredible hunger to succeed after the latter scored a match-winning century in the India-Pakistan 2025 Champions Trophy clash. Despite being short of runs in the recent months, Kohli came up big when India needed him the most against their arch-rivals.

Chasing 242 for victory, Kohli scored a delightful 100* off 111 balls to help India win by six wickets. During his heroic knock, the 36-year-old also scaled the 14,000-run mark in ODIs, joining Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara as the only others on the elite list.

Speaking at the press conference about Kohli's return to form, Iyer said [quoted by ICC]:

"I remember yesterday he had come almost an hour before us for the practice session. He played a few balls … he looked as crisp as he looks all the time. It's just the mindset that he possesses over the years. He's always hungry for runs. So, I never feel that he's struggling for runs, to be honest."

Iyer himself scored a crucial 67-ball 56, adding 114 for the third wicket with Kohli. The win helped India move to the top of the Group A standings at 2-0, with a semifinal berth almost certain.

"We could have won a bit earlier" - Shreyas Iyer

Iyer continued his impressive white-ball form in the Pakistan clash [Credit: Getty]

Shreyas Iyer claimed India could have won their Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan in an even more convincing manner. The Men in Blue raced to 100 in under 18 overs before leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed's excellent spell of 1 for 28 in 10 overs delayed the inevitable.

"I think we could have won a bit earlier, could have been a convincing win based on how the wicket was playing. It was initially coming on pretty well with the new ball and after that it was difficult to score runs when the ball got a bit old. But if we would have played more aggressively we would have won a bit earlier I felt," said Iyer.

He added:

"They bowled tremendously, especially in the middle phase where the ball was turning. I think everyone played a crucial role in this victory. Any victory against Pakistan is sweet because it's always competitive and it's a challenge and there's a lot of external pressure. It was a lot of fun. It was my third game against Pakistan. It was fun."

The win was India's sixth consecutive against Pakistan in ODIs, with their last defeat coming in the 2017 Champions Trophy. They will now have a week-long break before their final group stage outing against New Zealand in Dubai on March 2.