Virat Kohli still makes it count in big matches. On Sunday, his match-winning century in Dubai showed why he is still regarded as a potent force in international cricket.

He ticked off 14,000 runs in ODI cricket, brought up his 51st ODI century while almost confirming India’s semi-final berth in the Champions Trophy. “It feels good to be able to bat in that manner in an important game to seal qualification... Feels good to contribute in a game after we lost Rohit (Sharma),” Kohli said after receiving the Man of the Match award.

A master of chase, Kohli played his role to perfection yet again in a contest against Pakistan and felt a well-defined role made his task easier.

“My job was to control the middle overs against the spinners without taking too many risks... towards the end Shreyas (Iyer) accelerated and I got a few boundaries as well. It allowed me to play my usual ODI game,” Kohli said.

“I have a decent understanding of my game, it is about keeping the outside noise away, staying in my space and taking care of my energy levels and thoughts... Very easy to get pulled into the expectations.

“(But) my job is to stay in the present and do a job for the team. I kept telling myself that I will give my 100 per cent every ball in the field and then God will eventually reward you.

“When you put your head down and go about your work, things work out. Having clarity is important, it was important to understand that you need to keep scoring when there is pace on the ball, otherwise the spinners can dictate things.”

Kohli praised the efforts of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer who were involved in crucial partnerships with him. While Kohli was ticking along nicely, Shreyas was unusually slow (17 off 34 at one stage).

But at no stage did they allow Pakistan to apply pressure on them. They batted with minimum risks and once the target came under 100, the runs came at a quicker pace. Shreyas made up for his slow start and notched up a half-century.

“Shubman did well against Shaheen (Afridi), took him up. There’s a reason he’s the No.1 ODI batter in the world. It was necessary to get about 60-70 runs in the Powerplay, or we’d always be chasing the game.

“And Shreyas is really coming into his own at No. 4. Did well during the 2023 World Cup with 500-odd runs, then in India (before coming here), and now out here,” Kohli said.

He admitted that at 36 it took a while to recover after putting in so much effort. “To be honest, at 36, it feels really good. Will put my feet up for a few days as it takes a lot out of me to put that kind of effort into every game.”