It was a dismissal that broke countless hearts. Kohli had aggregated a masterful 84 against Australia in the first semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2025. Looked set to guide India over the line and into another century, but his aerial shot in search of a boundary turned out to be fatal, with the run machine being caught in the deep off Zampa.
The Indians were clasped by a sweaty palm after six wickets had fallen since then, with not a lot of batting fire power remaining in the dressing room and still needing 40 runs to win against the ODI World champions. Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul ensured there were no late hiccups, as India entered the final by chasing down the target with four wickets and 11 deliveries to buoy late cut.
Sadness painted the face of KL Rahul, Kohli’s batting partner, as he walked back, while Gambhir, too, seemed incensed by Kohli’s decision of going for glory while Rahul was effectively going for big hits at the other end.
Gambhir was unhappy that Kohli had already gone for glory while his partner was scoring.
Gambhir was seen speaking animatedly into his phone after Kohli departed back to the dressing room.
Gambhir saab totally upset with kohli. 🥲 pic.twitter.com/ABmrAgnPhV
— Kohlistic🔥 (@Kohlistic18) March 4, 2025
“The time that I got out, the plan was to get 20 more and try and finish it off in a couple of overs. Usually that’s the template I follow but sometimes you can’t execute things how you want to,” Kohli said during the post-match presentation after receiving his player-of-the-match award.
The 36-year-old has scaled 217 runs from four innings and is presently the fourth-highest in terms of runs scored in this tournament, with Ben Duckett in the lead with 227 runs, Rachin Ravindra with 226, and Joe Root with 225.
India is set to meet next New Zealand in the final match of the tournament this Sunday. The Kiwis, led by Mitchell Santner, defeated South Africa in the second semifinal that took place in Lahore on Wednesday.
