Virat Kohli’s MCG masterclass that survived Pakistan’s stranglehold to become World Cup folklore

Virat Kohli turned a lost chase into an MCG classic, conquering Pakistan and pressure to script one of the greatest T20 World Cup innings ever.

For five years from the end of 2014 to the end of 2019, Virat Kohli strung together a sequence of scores bordering on the otherworldly. Runs flowed from his scything blade with astonishing regularity; not even the law of averages could make a dent as he filled his boots in all three formats, unleashing centuries for fun and reiterating his class as the best all-version batter of his, perhaps any, generation.

India won by four wickets after Virat Kohli's crucial innings

Then, as dramatically as the flood came the most stunning drought. For more than 1,000 days from the time he made a special century in the first day-night Test in India, against Bangladesh in Kolkata in November 2019, a three-figure knock proved elusive. When the hundred finally arrived, it was in the form of an unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan in the T20 Asia Cup in Dubai in September 2022.

The timing of a return to century-making ways wasn’t lost on anyone. The T20 World Cup in Australia was six and a half weeks away and Kohli had plenty scores to settle.

His only T20 World Cup as captain, in October-November 2021 in the UAE, had been an unmitigated disaster. Having announced that he would step down as the 20-over leader at the end of the competition, Kohli endured an ignominious campaign; India lost a first ever World Cup game in any iteration to Pakistan, by ten wickets, and tumbled out of the tournament after a second successive loss, to New Zealand.

It was Pakistan themselves who offered Kohli the first shot at redemption when, under Rohit Sharma, India began a fresh World Cup campaign in Melbourne on October 23. India’s lead-in to the tournament was marked by a home series triumph against a strong South African side that didn’t exactly compensate for their inability to make the Asia Cup final, but they were at least carrying form and momentum into the mega event.

More than 90,000 frenzied fans, a vast majority of them draped in the India blue, packed the iconic MCG hoping for a rousing contest and a popular victory for Rohit’s men. Both their wishes were fulfilled, though without the brilliance of Kohli, neither would have been possible.

Arshdeep Singh justified Rohit’s decision to field with the scalps of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the pair that had battered India in Dubai a year previously, in his first two overs. Pakistan recovered from 15 for two on the back of half-centuries from Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed, who put on 76 for the third wicket, but apart from an eight-ball cameo from Shaheen Shah Afridi that netted him an unbeaten 16, there was little else to show thereafter. Arshdeep and Hardik Pandya were India’s bowling heroes with three wickets apiece, playing key roles in restricting their storied rivals to 159 for eight.

Virat Kohli against time, Pakistan and a World Cup slipping away

India were rocked early by Haris Rauf, who dismissed Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav; either side of those two dismissals, KL Rahul fell to Naseem Shah and Axar Patel ran himself out so that at 31 for four early in the seventh over, India were in all sorts of trouble. The tension showed in the dugout, on Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid’s faces, and in the stands, where more than 89,000 pro-India fans had lost their voice. Their only hope was Kohli; till he was around, everyone including the Pakistan camp knew, impossible was nothing.

But Kohli needed support; after all, there was only that much one man could do. Fortunately for him, India and the large audience, that came from Pandya, who had an excellent night. Without being at his fluent best, Pandya was content to sail in his former captain’s wake, making 40 off 37, slightly laboured but no less critical, in a fifth-wicket stand of 113. The partnership wasn’t furious, but if it still came off just 78 deliveries, it was primarily because of the magic that cascaded from the Kohli willow.

Pakistan gave nothing away with the ball so that with three overs left, India needed 48 for victory – exactly 16 runs per over. The Kohli of then wasn’t as adventurous from the off as he is now in One-Day Internationals. The game situation compelled him to bat within himself and when the 18th over started, he was 46 off 42. He had to change gears, but could he? Would he be allowed to?

Kohli reached his fifty off the first ball of Afridi’s over with a one-bounce pull for four, then added two more boundaries to milk 17 from six balls. With 31 required off 12 deliveries, Rauf bowled four terrific balls that produced only three. Where was this game headed?

Then, off the fifth delivery, Kohli played the most extraordinary shot. Rauf bowled a perfectly good ball, angled slightly in from a length and climbing towards Kohli’s thigh. The batter went back and countered with a vertical-bat backfoot straight drive that smashed into the sightscreen. Rauf’s shoulders dropped, Kohli put on his game face, and it was no surprise that the next ball disappeared over long-leg off a whip-flick.

Now, 16 from six. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz was summoned by Babar, and he silenced the buzzing crowd by evicting Pandya first ball to a top-edge. Amidst mounting tension, Kohli tonked the fourth ball, a full toss, over square-leg for six. It was called a no-ball for height, bringing the equation down to six runs off three balls, which became two off one when Dinesh Karthik was stumped. R Ashwin calmly moved towards the off-side to elicit a wide down leg, then drove the last ball over mid-off for the winning single. Kohli celebrated with characteristic gusto, adding another chapter to his legendary chase copybook – 82 not out off 53, a Kohli masterpiece like none other, as India squeaked home by four wickets.

Brief scores: Pakistan: 159/8 in 20 overs (Shan Masood 52 n.o., Iftikhar Ahmed 51; Arshdeep Singh 3-32, Hardik Pandya 3-30) lost to India: 160/6 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 82 n.o., Hardik Pandya 40; Haris Rauf 2-36, Mohammad Nawaz 2-42). Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (India).