When Virat Kohli holed out in the deep during the Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia in Dubai, there was utter disbelief. Not because India had lost their fifth wicket with 40 still needed from 45 balls, but because Kohli had got out against the run of play so close to the target and after doing all the hard work.
Kohli was born to do many masterful things on the cricket field – the foremost being planning and executing a chase in limited overs games. And even though his powers have started to wane in the Test format, Kohli knew the white ball would not disappoint him.
Things looked far from rosy, though, after a rough couple of months that included humbling Test series defeats to New Zealand and Australia. It seemed Kohli’s time at the top was drawing to a close. The Indian board also sent around orders signaling that results will dictate the future of senior players.
Which is why the Champions Trophy assumed so much significance for the India team. After the famous T20 World Cup win last year, the walls were closing in on senior players after major setbacks in all formats and with time running out to win one more 'big' title.
With the World Test Championship final out of reach after two disastrous defeats, it was all or nothing at the Champions Trophy. Failure to impress there would have meant a guaranteed and immediate overhaul of the team, and possibly the removal of coach Gautam Gambhir.
It was under such pressure that Kohli put in one of his finest efforts in a major tournament. Sure, this is a very short event, with India reaching the final after just four games. But in two of those matches, Kohli reinforced his status as the greatest of them all in the format.
Against Pakistan, India were chasing a challenging target of 242. Kohli, admittedly not in vintage form, put his head down, focussed on ones and twos and scored a remarkable unbeaten ton in a one-sided win.
The challenge was much greater against Australia in the semi-final on Tuesday. Even though the Aussies were missing half their first-choice team and their entire pace attack, the target of 265 on an abrasive Dubai pitch required every bit of grit and focus.
Australia remained in the contest by picking up wickets regularly and by not letting India break free. So Kohli decided to cut out all flamboyance and grind the opposition down with ones and twos; his 84 had just five boundaries, while his ton against Pakistan had just seven fours.
“I wasn't feeling desperate. I was pretty happy knocking ones around. When as a batsman you start taking pride in hitting singles into the gaps, that's when you know you're playing good cricket,” Kohli explained.
It is true that the veteran batsman has scored far more runs at the bigger stage. Kohli is unlikely to ever bat as well as he did during the 2018 England Test series where he alone scored nearly 600 runs in five Tests when the next best was less than 350.
He came into his own as a premier batsman during the 2014 Test tour of Australia, was by far and away the top scorer in the 2023 ODI World Cup (765 runs in 11 games) and even scored almost a thousand runs during the 2016 IPL.
But given the stage he is at in his career, and what is at stake for many players in the team, Kohli’s performance in the Champions Trophy is likely to remain closest to his heart.
Sure, Kohli scored a match-winning fifty in the 2024 T20 World Cup win, but he had failed for the entire tournament before that. Here in Dubai, Kohli has looked in control of his destiny, playing a format he adores, on pitches which have proven to be extremely difficult, and while doing the hard yards while chasing.
Kohli and the rest of the players will never forget the pain of the 2023 home World Cup defeat, where they played like the greatest white-ball team of the modern era only to stumble at the last hurdle. But if he delivers one last time during Sunday’s final, also in Dubai, and gets to lift the Champions Trophy, a large part of that pain will subside and Kohli will get to cherish the crown jewel of a remarkable career.
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
