Kohli's 76 (59b, 6x4, 2x6), which was his first in this tournament, and Axar Patel's 47 (31b, 1x4, 4x6) helped India overcome the early fall of skipper Rohit Sharma (9), Rishabh Pant (0) and Suryakumar Yadav (3).
Both teams had emphatic victories in the semifinals as India knocked out defending champion England with a 68-run win in Guyana and South Africa blew away Afghanistan for 56 runs in Trinidad.
Kohli, who was the highest run-getter at this year's IPL with 741 runs, is yet to make a significant contribution in the tournament, having scored only 75 runs in seven innings
Recalls how he used to watch his matches in National Basketball Association (NBA) league, inspired by his on-court intensity and win-at-all-costs attitude