In a big game, with much at stake, and against a mighty opponent like Australia, you put your money on Virat Kohli. It is not just about the numbers. In a World Cup game with India getting off to a horror start, you don't just expect Kohli to get you out of it, you know he will. And that is exactly what the former India captain produced on Sunday. With India down 2 for three with all three batters dismissed for a duck, Kohli combined impressive with KL Rahul to script another masterclass of a chase against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and hand the hosts a perfect start to the tournament.
He scored 85 runs off 116 balls, while breaking umpteen records, a few of which belonged to his idol Sachin Tendulkar, while stitching a 165-run stand alongside Rahul, the highest partnership for India against Australia in an ODI match. The stellar stand helped India wrap up the chase of 200 with 8.4 overs to spare.
ALSO READ: World Cup 2023: How Virat Kohli and KL Rahul pulled India out of misery after nightmarish start vs Australia
However, a dressing room footage of the modern-day legend showed that Kohli was left utterly frustrated. He was seen slapping his head repeatedly and fuming at himself while shaking his head in disbelief.
Seldom does a well-set Kohli, in a run chase, go down before getting India over the line. That is why he known as the 'chasemaster'. But on Sunday, Josh Hazlewood's short-ball ploy eventually worked, albeit at the fag end of the innings, as Kohli pulled it straight to Marnus Labuschagne at short midwicket. Kohli was left shocked before he walked towards the pavilion shaking his head in disappointment.
{{/usCountry}}Seldom does a well-set Kohli, in a run chase, go down before getting India over the line. That is why he known as the 'chasemaster'. But on Sunday, Josh Hazlewood's short-ball ploy eventually worked, albeit at the fag end of the innings, as Kohli pulled it straight to Marnus Labuschagne at short midwicket. Kohli was left shocked before he walked towards the pavilion shaking his head in disappointment.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli was 15 short of scoring a century, but what left him disappointed was that India were still 32 runs short of the target and he couldn't finish off the game for the team.
Rahul and Hardik Pandya took 14 more deliveries to wrap up the chase and hand India a perfect start to the home World Cup tournament.
India will play their second match against Afghanistan on October 11 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.