On Sunday, former Indian skipper, Virat Kohli looked in premier batting form as he showcased his class with the bat in hand against Pakistan. During India’s first Super 4 tie at the Asia Cup 2022, the former skipper scored a 44-ball 60 which was also his second consecutive fifty-plus score in the ongoing tournament. Indian may have lost the game by 5 wickets, but fans and experts are delighted to see the ace Indian batter getting his batting mojo back.
Kohli’s knock helped India set Pakistan a challenging 182-run target. After the openers were back in the hut, it was the former skipper who shouldered the innings while the middle-order kept on tumbling. Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag heaped praise on Virat and termed his contribution ‘crucial’.
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During a chat on Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag said, “We expect too much from Virat Kohli. Whenever he walks out to bat, we wish him to score big, at least a hundred. People discuss when he will break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries. So, when he gets 40, 50 or 60, we don’t even count. So, this is the reason, I think people have been discussing him a lot. For me, he was always in form but couldn’t convert good starts to bigger scores.”
He further explained, “But this innings [against Pakistan] was crucial. Rohit and Rahul gave a superb start to the innings but one person around whom this Indian team plays is Virat Kohli. Had he lost his wicket early, the total of 181 could have been somewhere around 151. A player’s form is considered poor when he gets out for 0, 1,2 or so… But that has never been the case with him. He is scoring runs but not a hundred.”
Virat Kohli’s efforts went in vain as a tactically superior Pakistan caught India completely off-guard with a Mohammed Nawaz punt as they exacted sweet revenge with a five-wicket victory.
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Chasing a tough target of 182, the ever-dependable Mohammed Rizwan (71 off 51 balls) anchored the Pakistan innings, but it was left-handed batter Nawaz, known more for his orthodox left-arm spin, who played the decisive knock of the match. it all ended when Bhuvneshwar gave away 19 runs in the 19th over with only seven left off Arshdeep’s final over which Pakistan got with a ball to spare.
