Virat Kohli feels his 98-ball 84 on Tuesday was somewhat similar to his unbeaten century against Pakistan earlier in this edition of the Champions Trophy.

Though Pakistan’s bowling attack looked better on paper, the inexperienced Australian group tried its best to make matters tough for Kohli, braving its limited resources.

On that slow, tricky Dubai surface, what impressed Kohli most about his innings was his timing and composure. “I think my timing was quite good. There was composure at the crease as I wasn’t feeling desperate,” the Man of the Match said.

“I was pretty happy knocking the ones around. When as a batsman you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that’s when you know you’re playing good cricket. You know you’re in for a big partnership and settle the nerves down a little bit and head towards chasing the total down.

“That for me in the game against Pakistan and today (Tuesday) was the most pleasing factor.”

His 91-run third-wicket stand with Shreyas Iyer aside, Kohli also stitched short partnerships of 44 and 47 with Axar Patel and the unbeaten KL Rahul, respectively.

“For me, it’s about understanding the conditions, preparing my game accordingly and just rotating strike. Because partnerships on this pitch are the most important thing, and my only effort was to string in enough partnerships,” Kohli emphasised.

“The time I got out, the plan was to get 20 more and then try and finish it off with a couple of fours. Usually, that’s the template I follow, but sometimes you can’t execute things how you want to.

“It all depends on the conditions and the pitch tells me how the cricket needs to be played. I then just switch on and play accordingly,” the former India captain explained.

Skipper Rohit Sharma, too, was a relieved man. “When you want to play the final, you want all your guys in form. That is something which gives us a lot of confidence.”