It was a moment that most of India couldn’t believe that it happened, but they wanted it to be true, which it was. Most of the 1.3 billion people watching that game, had lost hopes as the Men in Blue were in dire straits, however, it took one man to believe that it was still possible. Chasing 160, four batters already back in the pavilion, required rate touching 11, the Men in Blue needed nothing short of a miracle in their opening yet high-profile game in the T20 World Cup against arch-rivals Pakistan at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Hardik Pandya joined Virat Kohli in the middle, when the former skipper was struggling, literally. Kohli was 12 off 21 when India were 31/4 and miracle was a very small term for what the Men in Blue required at that point. “All these things look great at the end, to be honest. When I was 12 of 21, I was like ‘I am really messing this game up. I am not putting ball in the gaps’. But when you have experience and understand the value of batting deep, that’s always been my role-playing for India. I know that I can do a lot of the power-hitting towards the end of the innings,” Kohli had said to Star Sports, speaking after the match.
However, Kohli is made for these situations. Kohli is built for big occasions. He kept the scorecard ticking and let Hardik take the first opportunity to hit. Once the shackles broke, Kohli came into his own and after that who Shaheen Afridi or Haris Rauf, it didn’t matter, he just went into a zone like he has in the past in 2012 in Hobart or in Mohali, 2016.
Three boundaries of Shaheen Afridi in the 18th over and a couple of sixes off Haris Rauf in the 19th over, shots which will be talked about over coffees and hang-outs in the years to come, saw India bring down target to 16 off the final over, just owing to one man. Mohammad Nawaz bowled an eventful, which had probably everything that can happen in a cricket match – wickets, a four, a six, a no-ball, a wide, a triple, byes, a run-out, free hit – you name it. But the clincher was the six by Kohli that sealed the deal and India achieved a win for the ages.
Not only India got an early Diwali gift, but most of the Indians are not going to forget that match, that knock. Even Kohli can’t. A knock, which was his best according to him too, in the shortest format, gave a new dimension to Kohli’s T20 career and a month later, he still can’t forget and believe what he did.
“October 23rd 2022 will always be special in my heart. Never felt energy like that in a cricket game before. What a blessed evening that was,” Kohli wrote on Instagram on Saturday, November 26.
“Till today, Mohali was my best innings against Australia. Today I will count this one higher,” Kohli had said after the match. 90,000-plus people, India vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup, MCG – it was just meant to be.
