R Ashwin recalled his time batting with Virat Kohli in the ending moments of the high-voltage encounter between India and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during last year’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
The encounter, which became the most watched T20I match of all-time, became memorable for Virat Kohli’s once-in-a-lifetime knock which helped India defeat Pakistan by 3 wickets in an exciting finish in front of more than 90,000 fans.
Set a 160-run target, India was in a hard spot at 31/4 in the 7th over and were only 45/4 after 10 overs with 115 runs needed off the last 10 overs.
Virat Kohli then turned up the ante along with Hardik Pandya, as the duo took 20 runs off the 12th over by Mohammad Nawaz. But things came to a head when India needed 48 runs in the last 18 balls.
Kohli then began by hitting Shaheen Afridi for three boundaries in the 18th over and then hit two sixes off the last two balls of the 19th over by Haris Rauf.
The exciting last over saw India needing 16 runs in 6 balls and Hardik Pandya fell on the first ball by Nawaz. Then, Dinesh Karthik took a single, and Virat Kohli took two runs before hitting a six off a no-ball. On the next free-hit, after a wide was bowled, Kohli then ran three despite being bowled.
The penultimate ball saw Nawaz dismissing Karthik out stumped, bringing R Ashwin to the crease. Recalling the moment, Ashwin revealed what was actually going on in his mind when he came to bat in the final delivery and also revealed how he knew that India would win the match.
Speaking to ICC, he said, “I was cursing Dinesh Karthik for asking me to do the tougher job. As I was just cursing him, when I walked in, I realized the enormity of what I was getting into. People yelling, I haven't seen such a crowd ever.”
Ashwin also spoke about his conversation with Virat Kohli.
"Virat just gave me like seven options to play off that one ball. If only I was that capable of playing all those shots I wouldn't be batting at no. 8. I just talked to myself; I couldn't say that to him. I looked at Virat and his eyes seemed like he was possessed. I said, okay he's on another planet and let me come back to earth. The moment he bowled a wide I knew I won the contest.
I think cricket in so many ways is going to give you a lot of messages that way. So that's where I brought my positivity from. I knew I'd won the game,” he said.
“I think about it every night when I go to sleep. To be honest, what happens, every time I see a video on social media, I think about it, what if the ball had just gripped and hit my pad. It was pretty close for comfort. I just felt that the game was meant to be finished by me. That's how I felt honestly terrific innings by Virat and one of the better games I've watched and been a part of,” he further added.
India topped Group 2 and played England in the semi-final, but lost that match in crushing fashion.
(ICC inputs)
