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No-ball, wide, 2 wickets and a sensational finish: How Kohli, Ashwin aced dramatic last over leading India to famous win
With 16 required off the final over, the stage was set for the world to witness one of the most stunning and dramatic last overs of all time.
Virat Kohli played the best innings of his career as India got their World Cup campaign off to a resounding start, beating Pakistan by four wickets in a thriller at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Kohli remained unbeaten on 82, and supported by Hardik Pandya's equally crucial knock of 40, heled India chase down 160 to win a last-over thriller. The Indian innings unravelled in a way not many imagines it to as from being down at 45/5 at the half-way mark, the Men in Blue pulled off a win for the ages, knocking off 115 runs in the last 10.
Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya stitched an invaluable partnership of 113 runs as the two brought the equation down to 31 needed off the final two overs. Kohli turned it on in style, getting to his half-century and then smacking consecutive sixes off Haris Rauf off the final two balls. With 16 required off the final over, the stage was set for the world to witness one of the most stunning and dramatic last overs of all time.
Mohammad Nawaz, the left-arm spinner, turned pacer, and dismissed Pandya off the first ball. Kohli changed ends by the time the catch was taken but with the new rules coming into effect, Dinesh Karthik faced the next ball. Nawaz bowled a high full toss, which DK smashed towards mid-wicket. Kohli had a word with the umpire hoping for a no-ball but it wasn’t to be. With 15 needed off 4, Kohli and Karthik scampered for a two after hitting to long on. Having missed the timing of the third ball, Kohli middled the next full-toss into the stands, but since it was a waist-high full toss, umpire Rod Tucker stretched his arm to signal a no-ball.
The decision did not go down well with Pakistan as captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan got into an animated exchange with the two umpires. But the decision stayed, and with India now requiring 7 off 3 balls, the match slipped into India's court. It then became 6 off 3 as Nawaz followed it with a wide. As the free hit stayed, Kohli, going for a slog was clean bowled, but as the ball deflected off the stumps and raced towards deep third man, Kohli and Karthik ran three.
The players and the umpires got together once again, this time discussing whether it should have been a dead ball. It took a while for tucker and Marais Erasmus to calm things down and convince Pakistan that it was indeed three byes. With two needed off two, the possibilities of a Super Over loomed large, and the chances of it rose instrumentally when Karthik was out stumped the next ball. With India needing 2 off 1, all three results were possible. Ashwin, the new batter, showed tremendous match awareness and predicting that Nawaz would dart one down the leg side, moved away and allowed it to be a wide. With 1 needed off 1, this was India’s game for sure, and Ashwin triggered euphoria at the MCG as he lofted the ball over long off to hit the winning runs.
What an over. What a chase. What a win. What a match.
