Melbourne: Virat Kohli played yet another unbelievable knock in a run chase against Pakistan as India made their way to a four-wicket win in their Super 12 encounter of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the MCG on Sunday.
India looked in no position to win the match after they were reduced to 31/4 while chasing 161. But Kohli brought them back into the match with a brilliant stand of 113 with Hardik Pandya, who played a vital knock of 40 from 37 deliveries as well.
A win for India looked unlikely even towards the end of the match as they needed 48 to win from three overs. But Kohli pressed on the accelerator and played some magnificent shots, smashing the Pakistani bowlers all around the ground.
Kohli ultimately remained unbeaten on 82 from 53 deliveries as India won the match off the final delivery of the innings, with Ravichandran Ashwin playing a lofted shot over mid off to score the winning runs.
Kohli was seen getting emotional after the match as his teammates rallied around him and lifted him up while he was leaving the field.
“It’s a surreal atmosphere, I have no words, no idea how that happened. I am really lost for words,” Kohli said during the post-match interview.
He also went on to explain how they planned and constructed the chase in the final few overs of the match.
“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),” he said.
The 33-year-old even rated this knock as the best one 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,” Kohli said.
