R Ashwin lauded the way Virat Kohli played in the India vs. Pakistan game in the T20 World Cup 2022 that was held at the MCG in Melbourne. Virat Kohli’s amazing knock of 82* helped India win the match by 4 wickets, despite Pakistan holding the upper hand for almost 90% of the match.
R Ashwin recollected the match in detail and shared anecdotes about Virat Kohli and how no Indian fan thought that he could hit those 2 runs from the final delivery to win India the match.
“(When I walked in) Virat was possessed. Like, I just looked him in the eye. And I asked him just one question. I said, Is it like gripping? Because I wanted to go inside out, over cover, or something. Because the field was in. The wicket’s good, it is in Australia. Going through the line is easier. Or I can just dink him over the head. And we can run a two or something. That’s all I wanted from him. And he was like, extra cover was actually a bit too much. I just wanted to dink him over there. Or just get bat on ball. The worst case was, at least get this to a super over and not get out,” Ashwin said on the ‘Mike Testing’ podcast on the CSK channel.
Ashwin then elaborated his plan to hit the left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz over the crowded outside ring to seal the victory.
“Virat was like, he’s bowling Ok. He’s just bowling, just darting it into the pitch. You can move away and hit him over extra cover. Or you can just stay in the line and hit him over mid-wicket. Or you can just go down the ground. I’m like, these are shots… If I was playing all these shots at will, I wouldn’t be batting at number 8. I just saw him, and his eyes were still. And the only thing I heard was he was darting it in,” Ashwin added.
With two runs needed off one delivery, Nawaz would deliver a wide with Ashwin doing well to remain calm under pressure and let it go.
“I said, ‘Ok, let me just step back and see if he darts it in’. And in case it just feels like it skipped my eye line, I’ll leave it. That was there. I wouldn’t say that it was completely instinctive. It was there in my head. But the moment I saw it skip my left eye, I was like, OK, that’s done,” Ashwin added.
When asked about the mood at the MCG, Ashwin stated that he had never witnessed a more hushed atmosphere as he took strike.
“So, when I walked into the bat, took guard. I haven’t seen a ground with that much silence. It was pin pin-drop silence. I don’t think any Indian fan believed that I would get those two runs. It was one ball, two to get. And the moment I left that wide, right, I think people were confused. They didn’t know what to react or how to react. And then after a brief second, they were just celebrating. I just told myself, now I think even if I just slog it, it’s going to go somewhere. I might just get an inside edge because luck is with me. And I just went inside out. I just timed it pretty well, actually,” he said.
Kohli carried the Indian innings with 82* in 53 balls with 4 sixes and 6 fours, while Hardik Pandya was the next best scorer with 40 runs.
