After Virat Kohli played a match-winning innings of 82 runs not out against Pakistan, he received a warm hug from coach Rahul Dravid and his other teammates as he made his way out of the field to the changing room.
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Kohli, who was under a lot of scrutiny before the World Cup began, will find a lot of solace in this innings which consisted of 6 fours and 4 sixes. He, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya added 113 runs for the fifth wicket after a difficult start for the side with the team being 31/4 after six overs.
The former India captain hit 2 sixes off Haris Raut in the 19th over which took India closer to victory and they have been compared to the iconic six that Sachin Tendulkar had hit Shoaib Akhtar for in the 2003 World Cup.
“The calculation was simple. Nawaz had one over to bowl, so if I could take Haris down, they would panic. From 28 in 8, it came down to 16 to 6. It’s just instinctively I saw it, told myself to stay still. The one at long-on was unexpected, it was a back-of-a-length slower ball. and the next one, I just swung my bat at it and it swung over fine leg. Standing here I just feel like it was meant to be,” Kohli would say in the post-match presentation ceremony.
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Earlier in the match, KL Rahul’s struggles against extreme pace and his distinct lack of footwork, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav getting out cheaply did upset the rhythm that was set by Pandya and Arshdeep when they restricted Pakistan to 159 for 8.
In no time, India were 31 for 4 and Kohli and Pandya needed to consolidate for the next four overs without losing wicket.
Pandya and Kohli both of whom understood the grammar of chasing in T20 cricket and how to pace the innings, ultimately helped Team India go over the finishing line.
