Virat Kohli taking dig at Rohit Sharma? Batter drops cryptic 'When you start taking pride in singles...' statement

India National Cricket Team batting superstar Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock for his team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final against Australia National Cricket Team at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Virat Kohli's sensational half-century against the Aussies on Tuesday, March 4, ensured that the Men In Blue completed the run-chase easily and won by 4 wickets.

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My only effort that day and today was to string in enough partnerships - Virat Kohli

Kohli won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant knock of 84 runs off 98 balls with 5 fours. He built crucial partnerships with Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and KL Rahul to push Australia completely out of the game.

Speaking after the match, Virat Kohli said that he paced his innings in a similar fashion that he did against Pakistan, where he hit a terrific ton. Virat Kohli added that his only focus was on building the partnership and playing according to the situation and conditions. He elaborated:

"It was pretty similar to the other day against Pakistan as well. For me, it is about understanding the conditions and preparing my game accordingly.. just rotating strike because partnerships on this pitch are the most important thing.

"My only effort that day and today was to string in enough partnerships. 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. It's all dependant on the conditions, the pitch tells me how the cricket needs to be played and then I just switch on and play accordingly.

When you start taking pride in taking singles into the gaps, that is when you know you are playing good cricket - Virat Kohli

Kohli further said that he was quite pleased with the way he timed his shots and showed composure. Kohli also stated that a batsman plays his best cricket when he takes pride in taking singles. Many fans speculated that Kohli took a sly dig at Rohit Sharma with this statement.

"(Aspects that pleased him the most about his innings) My timing. The composure at the crease.. I wasn't feeling desperate, I was pretty happy knocking ones around and when as a batsman you start taking pride in taking singles into the gaps, that is when you know you are playing good cricket and you know you are in for a big partnership and settle the nerves down a little bit and head towards chasing the total down. In the game against Pakistan and today that was the most pleasing factor for me," Virat Kohli said.

The right-handed was further asked if he calculates overs ahead while batting to which he replied:

This game is all about pressure, especially in big games like semis and finals. If you go deep into the innings and have wickets in hand, the opposition usually gives in and the game becomes easier. It is very important to control your impulses while the game is going on. For me it's important to know the number of overs and runs left. Even if the gap is 25-30 and it comes to 6 an over I am not bothered if we have 6-7 wickets in hand."

I don't know that's up to you guys to break down - Virat Kohli

In the end, Virat Kohli was asked if he is now playing his best cricket in ODIs. Replying to this, he said that it's up to the experts to figure out. He added that he doesn't focus on the milestones and only thinks about winning matches for his country.

"I don't know that's up to you guys to break down. I have never focussed on those things. I never spoken about those things. When you don't think about milestones it happens along the way to victories. I take pride in doing what my team wants. Those things don't matter anymore for me. It's just about stepping out and hopefully doing the job for the team," Virat Kohli said.