In a high voltage clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 which was attended by over 90,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday (October 23), India defeated Pakistan by four wickets in a last-ball thriller to get their campaign off to a perfect start.
Virat Kohli played an innings of character under tremendous pressure after India were stuttering at 31/4, chasing 160 to a win against a high quality Pakistan attack on a fast and bouncy pitch at MCG. Kohli scored 82* in 53 balls and added a 113-run partnership with Hardik Pandya (40). R Ashwin hit the winning run off the final ball of the match bowled by Mohammad Nawaz to seal the win.
With 48 needed off the last three overs it seemed like the target was out of India's reach but Virat Kohli had other ideas as he went after Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Nawaz to help India complete a win that will be remembered for a long time by fans as well as the players on both sides.
The cricketing world was spellbound by the stunning nature of Kohli's counterattack on the Pakistani bowlers who were taken aback and caved under pressure in the slog overs after having the game almost in their grasp.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also joined in to congratulate Rohit Sharma & co. and hailed Kohli with a special mention in his tweet. He wrote, “The India team bags a well fought victory! Congratulations for an outstanding performance today. A special mention to @imVkohli for a spectacular innings in which he demonstrated remarkable tenacity. Best wishes for the games ahead.”
