Virat Kohli’s match-winning knock during the T20 World Cup 2022 match against Pakistan at MCG will remain etched in the memories of cricket fans forever.
Chasing 160 to win, the Men in Blue were in dire straits at 31/4 after 6.1 overs. Amid the pressure situation, Kohli rose to the occasion as he smashed 82* off 53 balls and shared a 113-run stand with Hardik Pandya (40 off 37 balls) to script India’s nail-biting four-wicket victory.
The highlight of Kohli’s knock was the straight six he smashed against speedster Haris Rauf in the penultimate over of India’s innings.
A lot has been said and written about that iconic shot over the last one year. Recently, Kohli himself offered his perspective on that six, which has been dubbed as the 'Shot of the Century' by the ICC.
"I have seen this a lot of times, but these small things in the middle, these are very special because obviously, you have lived these moments but you haven't seen it again. Just those little moments are something that I'm very, you know, I feel very nostalgic about, and in a good way. You know what you did, and that moment got captured in some way and someone has seen it," Kohli said while speaking to Star Sports.
The 35-year-old also credited higher powers at play when he hit that legendary shot.
"You realize this in a moment. If anyone comes up to me and says when I was 10 that at 35, I will be here, if anyone claims that they knew what was going to happen in written and sign it, I would have given them everything. If they knew what my 25-year journey would be, that it happened to have reached here, that is a larger package, it is a compressed version,” Kohli said.
“I didn't know what was going to happen and how it happened. It just happened; I can't sit here and claim it. That is a larger package and that is injustice to what I felt that night, I can never forget it in my life. Never. And that is the reason people who saw it felt the same thing. It wasn't like someone said it or claimed it; the moment had purity, and everyone felt it,” he explained.
