Virat Kohli’s Perspective on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025-A Tournament of High Stakes and Legacy

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be a thrilling contest as the world’s top cricketing nations battle for supremacy. For India, the tournament's opening match against Bangladesh on February 20 is the start of their journey, and one of the biggest confrontation sessions, against Pakistan, is on February 23. Another do-or-die encounter faces them on March 2 against New Zealand. As the excitement builds, India’s star batter, Virat Kohli, has shared his insights on why he holds the Champions Trophy in high regard and how it compares to other ICC tournaments.

Kohli’s Deep Connection with the Champions Trophy

Virat Kohli recently showed admiration for the ICC Champions Trophy, pointing to the competition that takes place there as well as how important the competition is within cricket. It represents, as per him, how good a team is consistent within a stretch of time, only because eight best teams of the world receive an opportunity to participate.

It has been a while since we last competed in the Champions Trophy, and I have always had a particular fondness for this tournament. It is one which rewards those teams who have played consistently in the past and offers an intense degree of competitiveness," Kohli stated. "This tournament has always been competitive, and I have good memories of competing in it." 

Memories of India's Previous Encounters

Kohli also looked back at India's previous performances in the ICC events. He remembered India's match against Bangladesh during the 2011 World Cup, which India had won and then gone on to win the cup. Those memories are special to him and give him more enthusiasm for the coming matches.

"Playing Bangladesh in an opening game reminds me of fond memories," Kohli said. "We started strongly in the 2011 World Cup and went on to lift the trophy. I hope that we are able to do that here as well in this tournament."

Drawing Parallels Between T20 and ODI Formats

Kohli pointed out the parallels between the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup, where India triumphed last year. In his opinion, pressure to play well from the very first match makes both the tournaments as tough.

"If you transfer the same sort of pressure experienced in the T20 World Cup to the ODI format, the Champions Trophy doesn't feel very different.". With hardly any matches to make it to the knockout rounds, you can't afford to have a bad start. The initial few games are very important, and giving your best effort from the word go is essential," Kohli said. "I like this part because it keeps you alert and gives you high-intensity cricket from the beginning itself."

Kohli's Champions Trophy Records and Form

Having played his first match in the Champions Trophy in 2009, Kohli has been a crucial member of India in this competition. Throughout the years, he has scored 529 runs in 13 games with a staggering average of 88.16 and a strike rate of 92.32. Indian players rank him at third position for the number of runs scored in the Champions Trophy, behind Rahul Dravid and Shikhar Dhawan.

Globally, West Indies legend Chris Gayle remains the highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament, with 791 runs in 17 innings. However, Kohli’s numbers reflect his consistency and impact in this competition.

Regarding his current form, Kohli was last spotted in action in the ODI series of India vs England. Even though he missed the first match as a result of a knee injury, he was able to score 52 runs in one of the other matches. The Champions Trophy ahead is a platform where he can regain his peak form and make match-winning contributions.

India's Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

India has put together a strong team for the tournament, with Rohit Sharma as captain and Shubman Gill as vice-captain. The team has a good balance of experienced players and young guns, making them a strong title contender. Here's the full squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain)

Shubman Gill (Vice-captain)

Virat Kohli

Shreyas Iyer

KL Rahul (WK)

Rishabh Pant (WK)

Hardik Pandya

Axar Patel

Washington Sundar

Kuldeep Yadav

Harshit Rana

Mohammed Shami

Arshdeep Singh

Ravindra Jadeja

Varun Chakaravarthy

Also, three non-traveling reserves—Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube—are standby and will travel to Dubai if needed.

A Tournament to Watch Out For

With the ICC Champions Trophy about to get underway, the cricket enthusiasts around the world are waiting impatiently to know how their most-loved teams will fare. For India, the tournament provides an opportunity to win another ICC trophy in their hands and reaffirm their supremacy on the international stage.

India, with Kohli at the helm, Rohit Sharma's expertise, and an even-strength team at hand, will target to make an aggressive impression right from the initial match. Everyone will be looking to Kohli and the Indians as the competition progresses to get back to glory days and return with the title once again.