Watch: Virat Kohli's match-winning six vs MI the perfect tribute to MS Dhoni on 12th anniversary of India's 2011 WC win

More than the win and records, it was showman Kohli who enthralled the home crowd with his unbeaten 82 off 49

Published on: Apr 3, 2023, 08:23:33 IST

By HT Sports Desk

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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were flawless in their emphatic eight-wicket win against Mumbai Indians on Sunday. The pacers picked earlye wickets, the spinners chocked the run flow in the middle overs and then the stunning 148-run stand between openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. It was RCB's fourth straight win against MI in IPL and third in 11 attempts at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. But more than the win and records, it was showman Kohli who enthralled the home crowd with his unbeaten 82 off 49 before wrapping up the chase in a manner which was a perfect tribute to the legendary MS Dhoni on India's 12th anniversary of their 2011 World Cup win.

Virat Kohli pays perfect tribute to MS Dhoni

Heading into the 17th over of the run chase, RCB required 10 more to win. Against the length ball on the pads from Arshad Khan, Kohli whipped it late to send it down through fine leg for a four. The MI bowler then erred on his line to deliver a wide ball, leaving RCB with five more to win. And Kohli, rather than taking it slow, decided to make the most of his momentum and end the chase on the next ball.

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Another length ball, angled across towards the off and Kohli "finished it off in style", over long on, just like Dhoni had smashed the match-winning six against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in 2011 to help India win their second World Cup trophy. The only difference was Kohli's six was a tad flatter.

Watch the video below…

Kohli was part of that 2011 World Cup team and had scored a crucial knock of 35 off 49, laced with four boundaries, which had helped India restrict the wicket fall at one end. During his knock, he stitched an 83-run stand with Gautam Gambhir, who in turn put up a 97-run knock. Dhoni had eventually wrapped up the chase with his unbeaten 91 off 79 which helped India complete the match with 10 balls to spare. It was India's second World Cup win and first in 28 years since that historic 1983 win.

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