Virat Kohli, who was the man behind India's win against Australia in the semifinal of the Champions Trophy, stressed that provided his love for the game was still there and he was also giving his contribution to the team's cause, success would only follow.
Once again demonstrating his capacity to perform under pressure, Kohli contributed a calm 84-run innings off 98 balls, leading India to a dominating 4-wicket victory. In pursuit of a score of 265 in challenging conditions on Tuesday, he was instrumental in achieving the victory. Earlier in the competition, he had also scored a century against arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage.
"I just love playing the game, I just love batting. As long as love for the game and batting is alive, all other things can take care of themselves," Kohli said in a video posted by BCCI.TV.
"You are not going to a hopeless situation and head down, thank God. Just keep striving towards what the team desires, you will have such results like these more often than not," he said.
His innings was a mix of shrewd running between the wickets, with just five boundaries but a sequence of quick singles and doubles.
Talking about his approach to the game, the 36-year-old stated, "For me, at this point in my career, it is about rising for these games, getting pumped up, coming out here, hopefully doing the job for the team, working hard as much as I can, run hard between the wickets, play according to the situation. When all these things come together and it works, you feel great. To get the team over the line, it is a good feeling."
Kohli also praised his teammates for their vital contributions during the semifinal match.
"Clearly, as a team, you feel satisfied when individuals stand up during the course of the innings. Hardik (Pandya) played those decisive shots at a nervous moment for us. KL (Rahul) played excellently to finish the game.".
"Shreyas had a good partnership with me. Effort all around matters. People are in a good place. You make it to finals, a couple of days' break, everything to anticipate," he summed up.
India is now ready to take on New Zealand in the grand final on March 9 in Dubai.
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