Indian captain Virat Kohli has praised returning veteran Yuvraj Singh as the key contributor to his side’s huge win against Pakistan.

Yuvraj had a long period in the wilderness after a disappointing 2014 ICC World Twenty20 Final, but made his way back into India’s limited-overs sides in January this year, at the age of 35.

In India’s first match at the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, he smashed 53 from 32 balls batting at No. 4 to drive India’s surge to 319 from 48 overs.

“Yuvi, the way he batted, I think it was the game-changing innings to be honest,” said Kohli. “That gave all of us the confidence to start striking the ball well.

“The way he batted was the way only he can strike the ball, hitting low full tosses for fours and sixes, and even digging out yorkers for fours – he was outstanding.”

This was especially the case after multiple rain interruptions meant that India’s batsmen kept having to reset their innings, while not knowing if they might lose a more substantial chunk of overs to rain. Kohli, unusually, was struggling to time his attacking strokes.

“I could not go for the big ones because it was tricky. We went off about four times [twice while batting]. It becomes very difficult to find momentum every time you come back.

“I think I was pretty okay till 40. After that, you know, seeing how shortened the game was, me and Yuvi decided that we were going to take it on. He started striking it really well. I couldn't get it away.

“I think [his innings] really deflated the opposition and that gave me a bit of time to settle in from the other end. When he got out, I took over. But I think his innings was the difference in the game.”

More than having a good day, India’s captain effectively backed his returning player to give his country a great chance of winning the tournament.

“He's done it in India. And now he's continuing it in England. So if he plays like that, the team is always in a good space because you can really rely on him to come in and just play a match-ending innings more often than not.

“He’ll end up doing it three out of five times. That's why we back him at that spot. And Rohit [Sharma] andShikhar [Dhawan] have been regulars, but the way Yuvi has come back and he's scored in the last series and now taking the initiative in this game, it's been beautiful to see and I wish him all the best.”

Kohli was not concerned about his own temporary struggles. “When [Yuvraj] got out, I decided to stay still and just back the strokes that I have and a few connected, and that's what happens in this sport. Momentum comes your way; it goes away. But you've got to stay patient. And when it comes back, you've got to capitalise on it. So I believe in myself, I can get 30 off 10 balls as well in the end.”

He would not much be drawn on the political implications of Pakistan playing India, but gave a subtle indication of his approval for such matches taking place.

“Regardless of who you play, you just want to play cricket. At the end of the day, for us, it's just playing the sport we love. You do enjoy playing against them. They're a very competitive side. The atmosphere is great. From that regard, as a cricketer, we really enjoyed this game, that's all I can say.”