As India took the field in their Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday, star batter Virat Kohli achieved a rare milestone. Kohli, who is playing his third straight Champions Trophy final, became only the second Indian player to play 550 international matches. Only batting great Sachin Tendulkar (664) played more matches than him. Tendulkar, who retired in 2013, 200 Tests, 463 ODIs and one T20I. Meanwhile, Kohli has represented India in 123 Tests, 302 ODIs and 125 T20Is. (IND vs NZ Final LIVE)
Most international matches for India
Sachin Tendulkar 664
Virat Kohli 550*
MS Dhoni 538
Rahul Dravid 509
Rohit Sharma 499*
Kohli has been in sublime form for India in the Champions Trophy. Prior to the final, he had amassed 217 runs in four matches, including a century in the group stage game against Pakistan. Kohli is in contention to finish the tournament as the leading run-scorer.
Kohli's career in ODIs has been nothing short of spectacular - 14,180 runs at an average of 58.11, with a record 51 centuries, firmly establishing his dominance in the format.
In the latest episode of The ICC Review, Shastri, who worked closely with Kohli in an extremely successful coach-captain combination, shed light on what makes him the undisputed king of the 50-over format.
"His discipline, his awareness of match situations (are what sets him apart). I thought he tried to get ahead of himself in the last three or four years, where he was trying to outdo what he's good at and sometimes, it can catch up on you," Shastri told host Sanjana Ganesan as quoted by ICC.
"But he's back to what he does best, which is take the singles, hit the ball along the ground, if necessary, go for the big one. Some of the greatest players who played the one-day game, especially in the chase, are guys who can do that. When you pick up singles with ease, there's no pressure. And then when you have another guy at the other end, someone like Shreyas (Iyer) who comes and smacks it, it takes the pressure off, it becomes still easier," he added.
Shastri also commended Kohli's energy, always giving it his all on the field and making sure he's in the game.
"You know people (like to) watch sport when they watch a sportsman with energy. Whether his name is (Cristiano) Ronaldo or it's (Lionel) Messi or whether it's a (Novak) Djokovic or whether it's (Rafael) Nadal, that energy that they bring in - there's a certain kind of charisma and it rubs off on other people. They want to watch this guy play," Shastri said.
(With ANI Inputs)