Watch: Virat Kohli, Haris Rauf come face-to-for face first time since MCG's twin sixes ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup tie
10 months since those sixes, Kohli met the Pakistan pacer ahead of the blockbuster Asia Cup clash at the Pallekele International Stadium.
Almost a year on, those two iconic sixes is still remembered as if it happened yesterday. But more than it being sort of an impossible shot to hit, and that moment in the match, and from a player of that calibre, what remains the most magical thing about those sixes against Haris Rauf was that for those brief few seconds, the packed 90000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, comprising spectators from India and Pakistan, united as one to share the sheer amazement at what Virat Kohli had done eventually leading up to a thriller of a four-wicket win for India. 10 months since those sixes, Kohli met the Pakistan pacer ahead of the blockbuster Asia Cup clash at the Pallekele International Stadium.
Kohli had simply wreaked havoc on that night of October 23 in Melbourne during the group-stage tie in the 2022 T20 World Cup. As India looked in deep trouble in their chase of 160, a well-set Kohli, who had later admitted it to be his best T20I innings, smashed back-to-back sixes against Haris, one of which was hit off his back foot over the bowler's head, leaving the Pakistan pacer stunned.
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A year later, as the two are slated to face each other on Saturday in Kandy in the 2023 Asia Cup group-stage tie, Kohli met Haris during the practice session as the two shared a laughter before hugging each other.
Watch the video here…
Speaking to Pakistan news outlet Cricwick a month later after that match, Haris had admitted he was simply flabbergasted at Kohli's prowess before adding that had it been hit by any other batter, he would have been hurt.
"The way he [Kohli] played in the World Cup, that is his class, we all know the types of shots he plays. And the way he hit those sixes, I don’t think any other player can hit a shot like that off my bowling," Haris said. “If Dinesh Karthik aur Hardik Pandya would’ve hit those sixes, I would’ve been hurting but those came off Kohli’s bat and he is a different class altogether."
Saturday will be Kohli's fourth meeting with Haris in an international match, although the Pakistan speedster had served as a net bowler to India when the team had travelled to Australia during the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar series. In four meetings, all in T20Is, Kohli has scored 42 runs in 32 balls without a single dismissal.
