Kohli leads India to victory over Pakistan in thriller

Virat Kohli’s sparkling half-century guided India to a dramatic four-wicket victory over great rivals Pakistan in an absorbing T20 World Cup clash in front of over 90,000 fans at the MCG.

India had suffered a 10-wicket hammering to Pakistan during last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE but edged Sunday’s showdown as they reached their target of 160 following a truly thrilling finish.

Kohli (82no from 53 balls) and Hardik Pandya (40 off 37) revived India from 31-4 with a century stand, with Kohli’s flurry of late boundaries cutting the requirement from 48 with 18 balls remaining to 16 off the last over, which was bowled by spinner Mohammad Nawaz.

Hardik fell to the next delivery before a scarcely believable conclusion saw Kohli score six off a no-ball, India pick up three byes when Nawaz bowled Kohli off a free hit and the ball deflected down to deep third, Dinesh Karthik stumped the penultimate delivery and Ravichandran Ashwin loft the final ball over mid-off with one needed.

Ashwin was the official match-winner but Kohli was India’s hero, rescuing his side after they lost four wickets in 6.1 overs and then coming up with the sixes and fours required when the game appeared to have completely slipped from their grasp.

With 48 needed from the last three overs, Kolhi went on to strike three fours off Shaheen Afridi in the 18th – the first of which took him to a 43-ball fifty – before concluding the 19th with successive sixes off Haris Rauf, the second a majestic flick over deep fine leg.

His fourth and final six came off a no-ball on height grounds off Nawaz as a requirement of 13 from three balls turned into six off three and he was visibly emotional after Ashwin completed an astonishing win.

Pakistan had posted 159-8 in a topsy-turvy innings with a clatter of wickets twice followed by spirited comebacks from the batting side.

Captain Babar Azam (0) and Mohammad Rizwan (4) were removed in the powerplay by Arshdeep Singh (3-32) – Babar lbw for a golden duck – while Hardik Pandya (3-30) starred during a middle-overs collapse of 5-29 as Pakistan were reduced to 120-7.

However, a third-wicket stand of 76 from 50 balls between Iftikhar Ahmed (51 off 34) and Shan Masood (52no off 42), plus a flurry of late boundaries meant India were set a challenging target.

It became even more challenging when skipper Rohit Sharma (4), KL Rahul (4), Suryakumar Yadav and (15) Axar Patel (2) were removed, but Kohli, Hardik and Ashwin then starred for India, with Player of the Match Kohli producing one of his greatest knocks.

India opted to bowl, perhaps mindful of last year’s T20 World Cup game between the sides in Dubai when Shaheen Shah Afridi reduced them to 6-2, and this time around it was Pakistan who lost early wickets.

The prolific opening pairing of Babar and Rizwan were dismissed by Arshdeep as they slipped to 15-2 after four overs amid lavish movement, notable bounce and a truly sizzling atmosphere inside the stadium

Left-armer Arshdeep pinned Babar plumb in front with a full in-swinger from the first ball of the second over and then had Rizwan caught on the pull at deep fine leg from the final delivery of the fourth as he filled the void left by injured fellow seamer Jasprit Bumrah.

Iftikhar and Masood, beginning understandably sedately before Iftikhar sparked into life, creaming off-spinner Ashwin for six in the 11th over and then nailing three maximums in four balls off left-arm spinner Axar in a 21-run 12th to propel his side to 91-2.

Iftikhar’s knock then fell lbw to Mohammed Shami and Pakistan went on to lose 3-7 amid a wider collapse, with Hardik’s back-of-a-length deliveries accounting for Shadab Khan (5) and Haider Ali (2) in the 14th over before Hardik and Arshdeep bounced out Mohammad Nawaz (9) and Asif Ali (1) in the 16th and 17th respectively.

Once again Pakistan fought back, with Masood picking up successive boundaries off Shami en route to a 40-all half-century; Shaheen (16 off 8) nailing Arshdeep for six and four during an enterprising cameo, and Haris Rauf (6no) blasting Bhuvneshwar Kumar for six in the final over.

Rauf soon had his bowling boots on and was instrumental in Pakistan’s fast start, having Rohit (4) caught superbly low at slip by Iftikhar and then removing a cramped Suryakumar Yadav (15) as he tried to uppercut to deep third.

With KL Rahul (4) having dragged Naseem Shah onto his stumps in the second over and Axar (2) run out by wicketkeeper Rizwan after a fumble at the start of the seventh, India were in disarray and needed something special from former skipper Kohli and all-rounder Hardik.

The duo obliged with a fifth-wicket stand of 113 from 78 balls, the pair taking the singles on offer as they settled into their work before boundaries came thereafter, most notably in Nawaz’s 20-run 12th over as Hardik and Kohli crunched a combined three sixes.

Pakistan still had the edge for most of the chase until Kohli’s brilliance won out.