T20 World Cup: Once a finisher, always a finisher

The T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan at the MCG had all the drama which made it another blockbuster thriller for fans from both the countries to remember it for years to come.

First, there was the threat of rain which was looming large till the eve of the match but even the rain bowed down to witness one of the finest India Pakistan game. The crowds from both nations had thronged in large numbers to see this epic game and everyone, I dare say, got their money’s worth.

The game ebbed and flowed from the beginning till the end and no one knew who would win till the last ball but there was one player among the 22 players who played this great game knew it and that was King Kohli.

India were in deep waters at 31-4 after 6.1 overs and when Hardik Pandya joined Kohli, the required run rate had jumped to almost 10. At the end of 11 overs, India were just 54-4 and Kohli himself was on just 12 from 21 balls with both Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz not giving both the batsman an inch.

That is when Pandya and Kohli launched into Nawaz, hitting three sixes which gave India the momentum. The run rate dropped down from 12 to 10.75 but Pakistan had the fire power in their pace attack in Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, who bowled two tidy overs for just 12 runs. Then, 48 runs were required off the last 18 balls and the win percentage showed Pakistan 90 percent and India 10 percent. The boundaries are big in Melbourne and it looked impossible that India would get the target of 160.

But one player knew he would be able to do it and that was the King. Kohli was on 46 off 41 balls at that time. He first layed into Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was not at his best and took him for 17 runs, hitting three boundaries.

Babar Azam had to close the game and he bought on his best bowler Rauf, who bowled the first four balls, giving just four runs. Pandya was not able to get his timing and power and India needed 28 of the last eight balls. Rauf knew the last over was to be bowled by Nawaz who was under pressure and had to leave enough in the bank. But Kohli had other ideas. Kohli punched the fifth ball straight over the bowler's head — there was timing — and the ball sailed over for a six and Rauf was stunned by the quality of the shot. The last delivery, Rauf tried to bowl a full ball which Kohli dismissed it from his presence with a flick over fine leg.

India were still in the game with 16 required off the last over of the under pressure Nawaz. Pandya had done it in the Asia Cup against Nawaz just a month ago but it was not to be this time.

Three balls and three runs and this is where Nawaz erred and decided to bowl seam up and bowled a waist high full toss which Kohli deposited into the stands. Fortune favours the brave and the free hit which bowled Kohli, eluded the keeper and Kohli had the presence of mind to run three runs while rest of the Pakistan fielders were bamboozled as to why Kohli was running so hard despite being bowled. That's what makes Kohli so special.

India won on the last ball and it was because of the brilliance of the chase master Kohli. He had done it on numerous occasions for team India and specially against Pakistan, be it the 2012, 2014 and 2016 World Cups, making chasing look ridiculously easy. I

In the 2021 World Cup, Kohli scored 57 against Pakistan but that was when batting first and that is when Pakistan beat India for the first time. Kohli had to settle the score and what bigger occasion than in front of 90,000 fans at Melbourne, packed to its full capacity, in their first World Cup game.

For last two years, his bat was not walking the talk and there were talks he should be dropped. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said: "You kidding me, aren’t you?" He also added that Kohli is the greatest batsman of all time and only he could have pulled this off.

The boss of chasing pulled off yet another heist against Pakistan.

This was yet another Kohli special. Once a finisher, always a finisher and by far the greatest of all time — King Kohli.

Anis Sajan is the vice-chairman of the Danube Group

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