Shreyas Iyer sheds light on the incredible ‘hunger’ that fuels Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has blasted his way back to his emphatic best, just in time for India to make a deep run in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

His unbeaten ton led India’s successful chase against fierce rivals Pakistan, ending an ODI century drought that dates back to November, 2023.

Kohli’s mental toughness is something that is very rarely questioned, but there’s a fresh dose of evidence that even in his twilight years, the batting legend remains as motivated as ever.

Speaking to the media after India’s six-wicket win, capped off by a glorious Kohli boundary that brought up his three figures, teammate Shreyas Iyer revealed what kind of hard yards Kohli has been putting in behind the scenes.

“I remember yesterday he had come almost an hour before us for the practice session,” Iyer revealed.

“He played a few balls … he looked as crisp as he looks all the time. It's just the mindset that he possesses over the years. He's always hungry for runs.

“So, I never feel that he's struggling for runs, to be honest.”

Pakistan v India, Champions Trophy 2025 scorecard

Iyer spent plenty of time at the crease with Virat against Pakistan, as the pair compiled 114 runs for the third wicket – a partnership that proved pivotal in India’s run chase.

And while their win all-but secures semi-finals progression, Iyer post-game continued to demonstrate the ruthless mindset that he displayed on the way to 56 runs off 67 balls.

“I think we could have won a bit earlier, could have been a convincing win based on how the wicket was playing," he said.

“It was initially coming on pretty well with the new ball and after that it was difficult to score runs when the ball got a bit old. But if we would have played more aggressively we would have won a bit earlier I felt.”

India’s bowlers put the clamps on Pakistan, making life difficult particularly through the middle overs. It was a performance that will have India’s slow bowlers, specifically, feeling increasingly confident as the tournament continues to unfold.

“They bowled tremendously, especially in the middle phase where the ball was turning,” he continued.

“I think everyone played a crucial role in this victory.

“Any victory against Pakistan is sweet because it's always competitive and it's a challenge and there's a lot of external pressure. It was a lot of fun. It was my third game against Pakistan. It was fun.”