India captain Rohit Sharma lifted Virat Kohli on his shoulders in ecstasy after the latter’s unbeaten half-century powered the 2007 champions to a thrilling win over Pakistan at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
Kohli smashed 82 not out off 53 balls as India chased down the target of 160 on the final delivery of the nail-bitting encounter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. After the match, Rohit called Kohli’s knock ‘one of the best’ of his career.
Coming in to bat at No. 3, Kohli didn’t find much support from the other end as the likes of KL Rahul, Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel departed early. Hardik Pandya stayed on the pitch, giving Kohli the support needed at the other end but struggled to score quick runs which was the need of an hour.
Kohli, who returned to form during this year’s Asia Cup, hammered Pakistan bowlers to all corners of the ground. Even when the required run-rate was around 16, Kohli kept his focus and guided his team to the finish line.
With one run needed off the final delivery, Ravichandran Ashwin hit the ball to the boundary. Soon, Team India players rushed to the field and hugged Kohli. Rohit lifted his former captain to celebrate the famous win against their arch-rivals.
Here’s the video:
Same Rohit same! 🥹🥹#INDvPAK #ViratKohli @imVkohli @ImRo45 @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/e9FuNguCAs
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) October 23, 2022
Meanwhile, there was heartbreak for Babar Azam and his men who did most things right on the big day at the MCG.
“Our bowlers bowled really well. All credit to Kohli and Pandya,” said Babar in the post-match presentation.
“We had a chance. We tried to stick to our plans. But credit to Virat Kohli,” he added.
