Kohli has effectively become the second leading run-scorer in the Champions Trophy during the course of his knock and is now 45 runs short of overtaking Chris Gayle’s record of 791 runs.
Batting for Kohli, however, the second century of the ongoing tournament seemed to be a task too easy for him until he was caught at long-off after he tried to play a big shot in the 43rd with India needing just 40 more runs to win. “Once again, he assessed the conditions brilliantly,” Clarke said on JioHotstar.
“A class player, he knew exactly what his team needed in order to put them in a position to win the game. We saw the same in his century against Pakistan.” “There’s no doubt about his ability to hit boundary shots. For me, he’s the greatest one-day cricketer ever, and he continues to back it up on the biggest stages, with the highest pressure. He knows how to do it, and when he needs to deliver, he can.”
Chasing 265, India lost their opening batters by inside eight overs which brought Kohli and Iyer together. The pair took control and put India in a fine place with their 91-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Iyer played another fine innings of 45 off 62 before he himself was dismissed. Iyer’s intent, Clarke said, makes it easy for his batting partners.
“In the process, he (Shreyas Iyer) played splendidly. He has that aggressive approach and great intent of always looking to play his shots, which takes pressure off his batting partner. He and Virat Kohli complement each other to perfection. Experience allows Virat to guide Shreyas when needed and keep him calm. Their partnership was, without a doubt, match-winning,” Clarke further added.”
“Australia managed to take a couple of wickets; had they gotten that partnership broken earlier, especially in the case of Virat, the game could have turned out completely differently. But credit goes to India; they played really well,” he elaborated.
