When Rohit Sharma got out, everyone was looking towards Virat" - Aakash Chopra lauds Virat Kohli's knock in 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Virat Kohli for scoring a match-winning half-century in the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia. He pointed out that the modern batting great delivered the goods when the entire nation was reliant on him after Rohit Sharma's dismissal.

India bowled Australia out for 264 in the first semi-final of the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai on Tuesday, March 4. Kohli scored 84 runs off 98 deliveries in the chase to help the Men in Blue register a four-wicket win with 11 deliveries to spare and book a berth in a third consecutive Champions Trophy final.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener praised Kohli for rising to the occasion after Rohit (28 off 29) was dismissed in the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final.

"When he came to bat, Shubman Gill had gotten out. We had great expectations from him, but he got an inside edge and got caught. Rohit Sharma was there with Kohli. Rohit Sharma was as lucky as Travis Head. Two catches were dropped and he got a four off an inside edge. However, when Rohit Sharma got out, everyone was looking towards Virat, and he stood there," he said (6:00).

Chopra noted that Kohli scored at a brisk pace despite hitting only five fours.

"When he scored a hundred against Pakistan, he hit only seven fours. He didn't score a hundred against Australia here, came close to a hundred for sure, and he hit only five fours, which means he scored his runs through running after placing the ball into gaps. He had 56 singles. He wasn't hitting fours but was maintaining the run rate," he observed.

Virat Kohli walked out to bat when the score read 30/1 in five overs after Shubman Gill's (8 off 11) dismissal. He combined with Shreyas Iyer (45 off 62) to stitch together a 91-run third-wicket partnership after Rohit Sharma had gotten out before adding crucial runs with Axar Patel (27 off 30) and KL Rahul (42* off 34) for the next two wickets to put India in an advantageous position.

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"Isn't he the best finisher on the planet?" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli after IND vs AUS 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final

Virat Kohli has amassed 8063 runs at an average of 64.50 in 159 innings in ODI run chases. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Virat Kohli set a plethora of records during his 84-run knock in the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final.

"Isn't he the best finisher on the planet? Virat Kohli bats at No. 3 and the finishing job is for Nos. 5 to 7. He didn't go after finishing this time, but he is the chase master. He has scored more than 8000 runs while chasing. He has crossed the 8000-run mark. He is the first person to score more than 1000 runs in ICC knockout history," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator termed the Indian batting ace the best-ever finisher in the world.

"When the matter is big, our guy is standing. Kohli's bat roars when there is a mountain of runs to chase, and he showed that by doing it once again. Get an AI done, but if someone can break down a run chase better than that, that's our Virat Kohli. He is the best finisher in the world ever seen," Chopra observed.

Virat Kohli has scored 5997 runs at an average of 89.50 in 100 innings in successful ODI run chases. He was unbeaten when the winning runs were scored in 33 of these 100 innings.