“Delhi da Munda” Virat Kohli set for 300th ODI as India faces New Zealand in Champions Trophy clash

Kohli, set to play his 300th ODI at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday afternoon, holds the record as the only batter in ODI history to score 51 centuries. He also joins Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara as the third player to surpass 14,000 runs in the format.

New Delhi: As India are set to face New Zealand in Dubai to determine who tops Group A in the Champions Trophy, India star batter Virat Kohli opened up about his Delhi roots and said his prototype ‘Delhi da munda’ denotes a stress-free approach towards things.

Kohli, who is set to mark his 300th ODI when he takes the field at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday afternoon, has already become the only batter in ODI history to score 51 centuries and the third after Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara to score 14,000 runs in the format.

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“I don’t know if I’m a prototypical Delhi da munda at all times. Being a Delhi da munda, the line in itself kind of means having a stress-free approach towards things. New experiences in life went to a lot of places, so I wouldn’t say that I’m out and out always a Delhi boy. In moments, I am, yes,” Kohli said in a video posted by ICC on Instagram.

Further in the video, head coach Gautam Gambhir, who also happens to be a ‘Delhi boy’, said the Delhi spirit is all about trying and winning the game the moment a player step onto the field.

“The Delhi spirit is very simple: try and win each time you walk onto the cricket field. That’s what has been taught to us when we were growing up in Delhi,” Gambhir added.

Both New Zealand and India have booked their place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals. But they must face off to determine who tops Group A. which will also help settle up the semi-final permutations.

The semi-finalists for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 are confirmed – although the actual fixtures are not as yet. The two sides that have made the cut from Group B are Australia and South Africa, who will be joining India and New Zealand from Group A.

Incidentally, the same four sides featured in the semis of the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

If India win and tops the group, they will face Australia, the second-best team in Group B, with New Zealand taking on South Africa, who have topped Group B. If New Zealand wins and tops Group A, they will face Australia, with India taking on South Africa instead.