Team India defeated Pakistan in their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign opener on Sunday (October 23) courtesy of a chasing masterclass from Virat Kohli.
Close to 100,000 people at the MCG and billions of people watching the live telecast saw Kohli putting on one of the most extraordinary exhibitions of batsmanship.
Chasing 160 on a spicy pitch against one of the best bowling line-ups in the world was not going to be easy. Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah produced a sensational opening spell, exploiting every bit of assistance off the pitch and conditions.
The Men in Blue were reduced to 31/4 in the 7th over. With the required run rate of more than 9 an over before the halfway mark, Kohli and Hardik Pandya had to calm the team’s ship and speed up the scoring rate.
But the duo put on a match-winning 113-run stand for the fifth wicket that virtually drove the team home. Virat, after struggling initially, found his groove and hammered Pakistani bowlers all over the park.
Pandya too persevered till the end while also clearing the ropes on multiple occasions.
The decisive moment came on the last ball of an eventful last over which saw Pandya and Dinesh Karthik get out, Ravichandran Ashwin lofted the ball over mid-off to win the game. The former Indian captain remained unbeaten on 82 off just 53 balls.
After having been under the scanner for the last couple of years due to his lean patch, Kohli after winning the match was almost in tears. He had done once again what he once used to do for fun: win matches for India while chasing.
Former Australia pacer Brett Lee, who expressed surprise at the criticism of Kohli's lean spell only days before the T20 World Cup, believed it was about time that the batting maestro roared back.
“I found it quite amusing when someone of the calibre of Virat Kohli was attacked. Those who had attacked Kohli didn’t have a look at his records and his performances in the three formats of the game,” Lee said, as quoted by PTI.
“There are times when you don’t get hundreds or you don’t get fifties. That’s all part of professional sport. What I do know is Virat Kohli is a legend of the game and it’s very hard to keep these guys down for too long,” he added.
India will next face Netherlands in their Super 12 clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday (October 27).
(PTI INPUTS)
