NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli has been India’s trailblazing and dependable batsman. In many successful chases over the last decade, it is often Virat Kohli who stands out, even when the pressure overwhelms other batters.
In a T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in 2012, Virat Kohli, often referred to as the chase master, remained the calmest player on the field in a high pressure match, earning yet another Man of the Match award.
Pakistan started their innings strongly, scoring 26 runs in the first two overs. However, the next 26 runs required 6.5 overs to accumulate. Captain Mohammad Hafeez faced difficulty in getting boundaries, with most of his shots going directly to fielders. Hafeez, opening the batting for Pakistan, played at a strike rate of 53.37.
Hafeez’s miseries ended when Virat Kohli, who is a part-time bowler, was introduced. Kohli, who bowls right-arm medium, maintained the pressure on the batters. Hafeez was finally dismissed by Kohli after scoring 15 runs off 28 balls.
Watch: Virat Kohli bowling against Pakistan
Hafeez was dismissed when Pakistan’s total stood at 59 runs in 9.5 overs. By this point, half of the team was already out. The team had started strongly, scoring 26 runs in the first two overs but slowed down to a run-a-ball pace in the middle of the innings.
Virat Kohli bowled three overs in this match, maintaining an economy rate of 7.0 and taking the wicket of Pakistan’s captain. Pakistan managed to score a total of 128 runs in their allocated 20 overs.
India achieved a comfortable victory, with Virat Kohli leading the batting effort. Kohli scored 78 runs off 61 balls after India experienced an early setback when Gautam Gambhir was dismissed without scoring. Sehwag contributed with 29 runs, hitting four boundaries before his dismissal. India successfully chased the target with three overs remaining and 8 wickets in hand.
India secured a crucial victory in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup, defeating their opponent after a disappointing loss to Australia by 9 wickets. This marked India’s first win in the Super 8 stage of the tournament since 2007.
Virat Kohli has bowled in 13 innings and claimed four wickets in T20Is.
