NEW DELHI :Virat Kohli showcased once again why it’s not wise to write him off as the former captain lit up the T20 World Cup 2022 with a stunning knock of 82 not out in 53 balls against Pakistan in the Super 12 match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, October 23. Kohli soaked in the adulation of more than 90,000 fans at the MCG as he played an unbelievable knock to deflate Pakistan’s hopes in their T20 World Cup opener.

Virat Kohli was unable to control his tears of joy as he made sure he was there till the end in one of the most thrilling finishes in the history of T20I cricket. Kohli kept his composure as India recovered from 45 for 4 in 10 overs to chase down 160 in the final delivery of the chase. Kohli remained unbeaten on 82 as he saw R Ashwin hit the winning runs against Mohammad Nawaz in the final over.
Tears flowed down Virat Kohli’s cheeks as he stood in the middle of the ground, acknowledging the support of the crowd. Chants of “Kohli Kohli” reverberated across the MCG as the former captain steered India from an improbable position. Kohli and Hardik Pandya stitched 113-run stand after India were reduced to 31 for 4 by a fiery Pakistan pace attack.
Virat Kohli played one of the memorable innings in the history of T20 World Cup as he played an unbeaten knock of 82 as India defeated Only if anyone had even an iota of doubt in mind, Virat Kohli has been officially named Player of the Match. To be honest, we all knew who was going to clinch the award ever since India got over the line. Rohi Sharma led India make a memorable and winning start to their campaign in T20 World Cup with a sensational win over their Asian neighboVirat Kohli says that it’s a “very-very special” moment for him. He is saying he is “lostVirat Kohli walks back with an 82 not out off 53 balls.
India skipper Rohit Sharma is ecstatic, he is lifting Virat Kohli on the ground. He knows the value of this win. And guys!!! What a knock it was from Kohli. We are well aware of the fact that he knows how to held his nerves but THIS KNOCK is definitely going into in the pages of history as one of the best the world has ever witnessed. It had everything – the class, the vintage touch, the thrill, the audacity, the belief and the execution.   for words”.urs and arch-rivals Pakistan.Pakistan by four wickets in a last-ball thriller at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
India were in trouble throughout the chase of 160, but Kohli first played an anchor role, and then he took on the mantle of hitting the big ones, and in the end, it was his class that helped India triumph over Pakistan. Earlier, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya took three wickets each as India restricted Pakistan to 159/8 in 20 overs.IND vs PAK: India win!!! Ravichandran Ashwin has hit the winning runs. India have won the game by 4 wickets. What a stunning win this is for India. They remained out of the game for the majority part in the chase but eventually managed to clinch the last-ball thriller. Could not have asked for a better India vs Pakistan game.
Rohit Sharma says  “I was in the dressing room. I don’t have any words left. You got to expect something like this in a game like this. We wanted to stay in the game for as long as possible. That crucial partnership was the game changing moment for us. Those two guys are experienced. Staying calm and taking the game deep was very critical. Good for our confidence. Always crucial to get off the mark like this. We were in no position to win this. It has to be Virat’s best knock playing for India.”
“We addressed what went wrong for us in the last World Cup and kept everything in mind whatever happened in the last World Cup, all leading up to the last World Cup. We wanted to address all the situations, all the problems, all the issues. But we managed to get some of those right for sure. So pretty much standing in a good position right now,” Sharma said on the eve of the game. The Indian team prepared a roadmap for ending the trophy drought. The team meetings not only became longer but also more frequent; powerpoint presentations and data analysis became a norm. Batsmen and bowlers spoke to each other to share ideas.
Pakistan’s 10-wicket win in last year’s edition was their first in World Cups against India. The two teams played twice at the Asia Cup and finished 1-1. Both were close contests – India won the first match with two balls to spare, Pakistan crossed the line with a delivery left. But by reaching the final, where they lost to a spirited Sri Lanka, Pakistan came off looking better. A third contest between the teams in less than two months is a fan’s delight. On Sunday, India and Pakistan will face off at the 90,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground in a sold-out game of this edition of the T20 World Cup.

The players were also asked to move out of their comfort zone. Suryakumar Yadav was asked to open against West Indies four times. He was promoted to keep him prepared in case he had to open at any point in time. Yadav was not the only one being challenged. Rishabh Pant and Deepak Hooda too were asked to open. Ahead of the game, Sharma said the key was to back players. “Giving the boys the freedom and security was very important. To let them know that they can do the job for us, without them worrying about their place in the team. If your mindset is right, you can go out there and perform fearlessly. Winning wasn’t as important as that for us in the lead up to this WorldCup,” Sharma said.

Post India’s exit from last year’s T20 World Cup, the team management took a conscious decision to fly early to Australia while a second-string side played South Africa in the One-Day Internationals at home. Sharma said the team management wanted to give player as much time as possible in Asyrelia ahead of the World Cup. The team landed in Australia two weeks in advance and played warm-up games. “This was a conscious decision from the BCCI and team management after the last tournament. We knew where the World Cup was happening, so we wanted to come here (early) and get used to the conditions. A lot of the guys in the team had not played before in Australia. That was a key decision. Getting acclimated to the time zone. I thought the way we prepared in Perth, we were lucky enough to get that time,” the Indian opener said.
The Indian captain also said that he was open to changing the playing XI as the tournament progresses. “I certainly want to keep my mind open on playing XI. We don’t want to get stuck with one particular way of making your playing XI. We want to be open about it. If we have to change one or two players in every game, we’ve got to be ready for it,” Sharma said.
The last time the two teams met at the T20 World Cup, Afridi delivered for Pakistan. Afridi’s returning from an injury lay off but the Pakistan team possess excellent fast bowlers who can make full use of the conditions in Australia. But like Sharma said, India are in a “in a good position right now” compared to last year. Babar Azam: “Our bowlers bowled really well. All credit to Kohli and Pandya. It wasn’t easy with the new ball. We had partnerships after 10 overs. We had a chance. We tried to stick to our plans. But credit to Virat Kohli. In the middle we decided we wanted a wicket and held the spinner back.”
(With Media Reports).

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