Virat Kohli epic hands India famous win against Pakistan after Arshdeep, Hardik deliver in side's T20 World Cup opener
Virat Kohli produced an emphatic display with the bat, remaining unbeaten on 82 to take India to a 4-wicket win in their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan.
Team India's star batter Virat Kohli shined as he remained unbeaten on 82 to take the side to a dramatic 4-wicket victory over Pakistan in the opening game of the T20 World Cup in Melbourne. Kohli smashed six fours and four sixes en route to his unbeaten 82, as India chased down a 160-run target in exactly 20 overs. Ravichandran Ashwin hit the winning runs for India; with the side needing a run off the final ball, Ashwin lofted Mohammad Nawaz's final delivery of the match over mid-off to seal the game for the Indian team.
In the 160-run chase, India had lost early wickets of KL Rahul (4), Rohit Sharma (4) and Suryakumar Yadav (15), but Kohli, alongside Hardik Pandya (40), rebuilt the Indian innings, forging a 113-run stand for the fourth wicket to bring the side back in the game.
Earlier, Sent in to bat, Pakistan were well served by Iftikhar Ahmed's 34-ball 51 and Shan Masood's unbeaten 52 off 42 balls after they lost their first two wickets with just 15 runs on the board in the fourth over.
For India, Arshdeep Singh was among the most successful bowlers in the much-awaited match of the tournament, finishing with figures 3/32 in four overs at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
If it was not for the 14 runs in the 19th over, Arshdeep would have ended with better figures
Playing in his maiden World Cup, left-arm pacer Arshdeep gave India early breakthroughs before Pakistan steadied things with a 76-run partnership for the third wicket.
In the run-chase, Naseem Shah struck the first blow when he removed KL Rahul in a similar manner to the dismissal in the Asia Cup. Pitching the delivery on length, Naseem managed to bring the ball inside, finding Rahul's inside edge that backtracked towards the stumps. In the next over, Rohit Sharma nicked one away to first slip, as Haris Rauf inflicted another blow to the Indian team.
While Suryakumar Yadav did show positive signs with some attacking shots up front, he was done away with awkward bounce close to the body, as the batter found a thick edge travelling towards wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
It was then, when Hardik and Kohli forged a crucial stand to bring India back in the game. Slowly but steadily, Kohli reached his half-century and shifted his gears in the 18th over of the match, when he smashed Shaheen Afridi for three fours. In the next over, Kohli hit two sixes against Haris Rauf to bring the equation to 16 runs needed in the final over.
It was a dramatic finish to the game, with Hardik Pandya being dismissed on the very first delivery. However, Kohli kept India in the game with a six off the fourth ball -- that also turned out to be a no-ball. While Dinesh Karthik was dismissed on the fifth ball, Nawaz bowled a wide next that brought the scores level.
Ashwin, then, kept his calm to smash one over mid-off to seal the game for India.