October 23rd, this date will always be special for all the Virat Kohli fans around the world as he played one of the most iconic knocks of his career. His classic match-winning knock against Pakistan in his side’s ICC T20 World Cup campaign opener. He played an incredible knock of 82* off 53 balls consisting of six fours and four sixes, which many including him, rated as his “best T20I knock” after the match.
Chasing a total of 160 set by Pakistan, India was restricted to 31/4 in less than ten overs. Virat then took his time to settle, however, he then stitched a calculative stand of 113 runs for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya (40). Team India needed 28 in 8 balls, and Virat’s two consecutive sixes on pacer Haris Rauf’s delivery changed the game completely in Team India’s favor. The first of two sixes off Rauf, which Virat smashed with a straight bat, is now considered iconic by cricket fans. ICC even called it as “arguably the greatest single T20 shot of all time”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf reflected on Virat Kohli’s heroics against Pakistan. He stated that no other batter could have hit those two sixes. Rauf believes he would have been hurt had any other batter hit those maximums.
Speaking to Cricwick, the right-arm bowler stated that Kohli’s class reflected off those shots and said. He said:
“The way he played in the World Cup, that is his class, we all know the types of shots he plays. And the way he hit those sixes, I don’t think any other player can hit a shot like that off my bowling. If Dinesh Karthik or Hardik Pandya would’ve hit those sixes, I would’ve been hurting but those came off Kohli’s bat and he is a different class altogether.”
Further, the 28-year-old bowler explained his strategy while keeping in mind that Mohammad Nawaz had to bowl the final over. Rauf revealed:
“Look, India required 31 off the last 12 balls. I had given away only three runs off four deliveries. I knew Nawaz was bowling the last over, he is a spinner and I had tried to leave at least four big boundaries for him and leave at least more than 20 runs.”
He added: “And since 28 were required off eight balls, I had bowled three slower balls and he was deceived. I had only bowled one quick ball out of four.”
Haris revealed how his plans and execution were spot-on but Virat Kohli ruined everything for him. He said:
“The idea was to bowl a slower one on that back-of-a-length zone since the boundary was larger on the square side. I had no idea that he can hit me down the ground off that length. So when he hit that shot off me, that’s his class. My plan and execution was fine but that shot was all class.”
