T20 World Cup: Former India coach Bangar ranks Yuvraj’s 2007 knock higher than Kohli’s

The cricketing world may still be hungover from that magical knock conjured by superstar Virat Kohli in Melbourne in the T20 World Cup against Pakistan and are rating it as one of the greatest knocks of all time. The batsman himself had said he rates it higher than any of the knocks he has played.

But former Indian batsman Sanjay Bangar, while saying that Kohli’s innings was indeed one of the best and “special,” the 50-year-old ranked former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh’s innings against the Australians in the 2007 T20 World Cup semifinal in Durban, South Africa, as the best innings he has ever seen.

Yuvraj had smashed a swashbuckling 70 from just 30 deliveries to help India post 188 after then captain MS Dhoni had opted to bat.

“The best innings I feel is Yuvraj Singh’s knock. He would be No.1 on the list,” Bangar told former Indian opener Aakash Chopra on Betway Super Over.

Chopra had asked Bangar which was the best T20 International innings played by an Indian and gave him three options — Yuvraj’s knock in 2007, Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 off 51 balls against Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup in Mohali and the magnificent unbeaten 82 from 53 deliveries in Melbourne.

“The second one, obviously, as Kohli himself said at the post-match interview that he would rate his innings in Melbourne higher than the one in Mohali. And the kind of attack, different conditions and the difficult conditions, I feel Melbourne it would be. Chandigarh was good but Melbourne was special,” added Bangar.

“Till today I said Mohali was my best T20 innings. Then I got 82 off 52, and today I got 82 off 53. I will count this one higher because of the magnitude of the game,” Kohli had told former coach Ravi Shastri at the post-match presentation.