Ponting lauds Virat Kohli's chase masterclass against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy

The game was headlined by Virat Kohli’s carefully crafted unbeaten century, which not only secured India's win but also saw him achieve remarkable individual milestones.

Speaking on The ICC Review, Australia legend Ricky Ponting lauded Kohli’s ability to step up in crucial moments, and for breaking a plethora of records on his way.

“I've always said big games equal big names. You need your big names to stand up in those big moments, and no bigger game for India than a game against Pakistan,” the ICC Hall of Famer said.

“Your reputation is forged in what you do in the biggest contests on the international stage. So it's no surprise to me that that has happened,” he added, describing Kohli's unbeaten 100 off 111 balls as a testament to his temperament and ability to deliver in crucial situations.

Ponting drew parallels between the batting stalwart’s clutch knock in Melbourne at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, against the same opponent, that steered India to a win to his brilliance in Dubai.

“Yeah, as you say, 2022 and now, he stood up against the team that he would probably steel himself the most to play against," Ponting said.

“And no bigger moment than last night when Pakistan had batted first on a tricky wicket. It needed someone at the top of the order to play a match-winning innings like that. And once again, it was Kohli to get the job done.”

WATCH: Kohli guides India to victory at MCG at T20 World Cup in 2022

Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 241 in 49.4 overs, a total that seemed competitive but ultimately fell short against India's batting prowess.

Pakistan had several batters who got starts but failed to convert them into bigger scores, something Ponting pointed out as a key shortfall.

Saud Shakeel (62), Mohammad Rizwan (46) and Khushdil Shah (38) all contributed, but none of them played a defining innings for the hosts.

“You look at the two scorecards, it’s one, Virat making a 100, and lots of Pakistan starts without anyone going on and making a big score," Ponting noted.

“I've said forever, in any format of the game, a 50 or a half-century never wins you or your team anything. You have to get big scores. And so the individual big scores weren't there, but the big partnerships weren't there either.”

Experienced duo Kuldeep Yadav (3/40) and Hardik Pandya (2/31) were instrumental for India in restricting Pakistan, ensuring that they couldn’t set a more daunting target.

Chasing 242, India lost early wickets, but Kohli anchored the innings with composure and precision.

Forming a crucial partnership with Shreyas Iyer (56), he guided India home with several well-timed strokes and controlled aggression.

Ponting, himself among the leading ODI run-scorers, acknowledged Kohli’s consistency and greatness. During his innings, Kohli also surpassed the 14,000-run mark in ODIs, now trailing only Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar.

“He's obviously been a champion player for a long, long time. And particularly in the white-ball formats, where he's been an unbelievably good 50-over player,” Ponting said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli. Now that he's gone past me and only two ahead of him, I'm sure he would want to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game.

“As long as the hunger's there, obviously physical-wise, he’s probably as fit as he's ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game.”

WATCH: Kuldeep Yadav strikes for India against Pakistan

With Kohli now just 149 runs behind Sangakkara but over 4,000 short of Tendulkar, Ponting was asked if the latter’s record was within reach.

“It’s crazy when you think about it, isn’t it? Just how good Virat’s been over such a long period of time, yet he’s still 4,000 runs behind Sachin. It just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game," Ponting said.

“But with someone like Virat, you never write him off. If the hunger's still there, then I’m never going to write him off.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s campaign is now over after back-to-back losses at the tournament.

Ponting questioned whether Pakistan were maximising the potential of their key players, particularly Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

“They haven’t been able to give their best back to their team. Those two guys had to stand up, they had to make big runs, and they haven't been able to do it in the first couple of games, and that might be the reason why Pakistan don't make it through to the semi-finals,” Ponting said.