PTI
Melbourne, October 23
Virat Kohli owned the big stage with a bang for the ages as he propelled India to an epic four-wicket streak over Pakistan in a jaw-dropping T20 World Cup match, which took place in the ‘ MCG “amphitheater” which was filled with 90,000 raucous fans, here on Sunday.
King Kohli, as his fans call him, conjured up a magical and memorable 82-point unbeaten run to anchor a 160 chase that got tricky after India were left ragged at 31 for 4.
Hardik Pandya, the most important cog in India’s T20 wheel, hit 40 of 37 balls in a partnership of 113.
Kohli’s ability to win games for India went under the scanner due to an extended lean patch and the long-lost conqueror of the bowling attack sang the perfect redemption song on the biggest stage.
It started in the 19th when he dispatched one from Haris Rauf on his hunches and had two straight sixes.
Cricket is indeed a leveler like Rauf, after 22 splendid deliveries, two bad and it changed the complexion of the game.
With 16 needed from the last six balls, Pandya bowled Mohammed Nawaz and with the crossover rule non-existent, Dinesh Karthik faced his first delivery and took a single.
With 14 needed on three balls, Nawaz’s juicy full throw was sent for a square-leg six and it was ruled a no-ball after deliberation by the umpires on the field.
Nawaz, the hero of Pakistan’s Super 4 victory in the Asian Cup, had lost his nerves by then.
After Karthik was puzzled by an alert Mohammed Rizwan, Nawaz threw a wide and Ravichandran Ashwin scored the most important limit of his career.
‘Chak De India’ echoing around the MCG never sounded sweeter and Kohli sounded numb. He punched the ground, took a long walk back, gave the crowd a thumbs up after restoring India to supremacy in a world event.
But the scenario could have gone wrong.
KL Rahul’s struggles with extreme pace and his obvious lack of footwork, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav coming out cheaply upset the pace set by Pandya and Arshdeep when they limited 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 a wicket.
Pandya and Kohli, both disciples of the incomparable Mahendra Singh Dhoni, understand the grammar of T20 cricket hunting and how to pace innings.
It wasn’t until leg spinner Shadab Khan went into operation that Pandya tried his arm and sent him flying into the stands.
In Nawaz’s next, Kohli gave him the same treatment while Pandya got his second six.
India needed 60 runs from the final five overs, but Rauf and Naseem gave up just six runs each in the 16th and 17th overs.
Earlier, Arshdeep cast a dream first spell and Pandya showed her true worth in the back-10 as India limited Pakistan to a manageable 159 for eight.
While Arshdeep (3/32) knocked out skipper Babar Azam (0) and Rizwan (4) in his first two overs to set the tone, Pandya (3/30) brought back memories of his Asian Cup exploits constantly hitting difficult lengths at a brisk pace. , letting the ground do the rest.
Iftikhar Ahmed (51) was the only hitter who looked set to bring the attack back to India as spinners Ashwin and Axar Patel (1/21) struggled a bit and he was named the sixth Pandya bowler who completed his quota complete.
Shan Masood (52) hit a half-century but never looked comfortable on his 42-ball shot.
Exactly 364 days ago, Babar and Rizwan clinically decimated India’s bowling attack for their biggest T20I victory against India.
But with the MCG track sitting under cover for a few days due to rain and the resulting underlying dampness, save for a generous tint of green in and around the good length, the opening pair weren’t meant to party.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/22) and Arshdeep knew all they had to do was kick the ball and let the lane do the rest.
Both are playing at an average speed of 130 mph and they knew their best chance of upsetting batters at that rate was to throw more pitches.
A good first by Bhuvneshwar where he consistently got a late move set the tone beautifully for Arshdeep to pick up the slack and deal telltale damage.
It was the first delivery Babar faced and Arshdeep landed a perfect inswinger that backed up enough to force the Pakistani captain across the line. There was no doubt about the leg before the decision.
Rizwan (4), who mostly played and missed, was sent off when Arshdeep very cleverly slipped in a well-disguised short ball and borderline thin-legged Bhuvneshwar took the easier of the catches.
Rohit’s captain was perfect as he only brought Shami in the last over of Powerplay and brought in a spinner (Ashwin) for the first time in the ninth over.
Early in the back-10, Iftikhar within five-ball space, hit four sixes and Shami (1/25), coming back for his second spell, trapped him in the lead with a fuller delivery to end the 76- third wicket run stand.
Even after the exit from Iftikhar, Masood failed to force the pace. Pandya fired Shadab Khan, Haider Ali and Mohammed Nawaz in quick succession. Vigorous shots from Shaheen Shah Afridi took Pakistan past the 150 carries mark but couldn’t save the day with the ball.
Short scores:
Pakistan: 159/8 in 20 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 51, Shan Masood 52 not out; Arshdeep Singh 3/32, Hardik Pandya 3/30).
India: 160 for six in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 82 not out, Hardik Pandya 40; Haris Rauf 2/36).
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