Virat Kohli showcased another incredible knock in the run chase against Pakistan as India won by four wickets in their Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
India appeared to be out of the match after being reduced to 31/4 while chasing 161. But Kohli brought them back into the game with a brilliant 113-run stand with Hardik Pandya, who also played a crucial knock of 40 from 37 deliveries.
Near the end of the match, India’s victory appeared improbable, as they needed 48 points from three overs. But Kohli pushed the accelerator and hit some spectacular shots, smashing the Pakistani bowlers all over the ground. Kohli eventually finished unbeaten on 82 from 53 deliveries as India won the match off the final delivery of the innings, with R Ashwin scoring the winning runs with a lofted shot over mid-off.
Kohli was seen crying after the game as his teammates rallied around him and lifted him up as he walked off the field.
“It’s a surreal atmosphere, I have no words, no idea how that happened. I am really lost for words,”
he said during the post-match interview.
The player went on to explain how they planned and constructed the chase in the match’s final few overs.
“Hardik believed we can do it, if we stayed till the end. When Shaheen bowled from the pavilion end, that’s when we decided to take him down. Haris is their prime bowler, and I hit those two sixes.”
“The calculation was simple. Nawaz had one over to bowl, so if I could take Haris down, they would panic. From 28 in 8, it came down to 16 to 6. I tried to stick to my instincts. The first one was back of a hand slower ball (the one over long-on).”
This knock, according to the 33-year-old, was the best of his T20 international career, even better than the one he played against Australia in Mohali.
“Standing here I just feel like it was meant to be. Till today Mohali was my best innings against Australia. Today I will count this one higher. Hardik kept pushing me. The crowd has been phenomenal. You guys (fans) kept backing me and I am grateful for your support.”
