Gambhir Reveals Kohli's Secret Weapon...

'It's about running between the wickets. It's about rotating the strike. It's about never putting yourself under pressure.'

Speaking to Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir -- who hit a remarkable 97 when India won the 2011 World Cup final -- praised Virat Kohli's ability to handle pressure by adopting a low-risk approach, emphasising the importance of strike rotation and running between the wickets.

'It's just the way you read the game. I think it's very important. First, when you have to chase those big totals, you got to be able to absorb the pressure. You should have this self-belief, you can chase it down from any situation and position and, more importantly, when he does that in one-day cricket, you have got to realise it's not about hitting those big shots.'

• SCORECARD

'It's about running between the wickets. It's about rotating the strike. It's about never putting yourself under pressure. The lesser dot balls you play, the better position you're in, because you know that with these new rules, with five fielders inside and two new balls with any time to accelerate.'

'But when your team is under pressure, that low-risk cricket from there on, if you can continue to build that momentum, continue to build that foundation, and that is exactly what he has done. He plays the ball. He was on 70-odd with only 5 boundaries.

'So, that just shows the ability to play spin and more importantly, the ability to rotate the strike against spin,' elaborated Gambhir, who has had run-ins with Kohli during IPL contests, most recently in IPL 2023.

Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody agreed.

'Virat Kohli understands the pace of ODI cricket, and the pace of ODI cricket understands him,' Moody said after the game.

'Australia missed the golden opportunity to dismiss one of the game's greatest ever 50-over players, and that really was a significant moment of the match, and there was no question about that.'

• World Cup 2023