India Win An Incredible Match That Went Down To The Wire
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-10-23 13:08:56
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
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Those who have always scoffed when commentators repeated the adage 'no match is won or lost till the last ball is bowled' got to see today why this is repeated so often. India and Pakistan played a riveting thriller and credit goes to that amazing player, Virat Kohli, (supported by another brilliant player, Hardik Pandya) to take the match to the last over and then make India win.
At no stage of the game did it look as if India would reach 160, the par score that the Pakistanis had asked India to get. But the way Kohli batted, especially in the last three overs, it was clear that he had not given up desite the mounting odds. Such was his absolute dominance after a slowish start that although he scored 82 runs in 53 balls, 71 of these runs came in just 33 balls in the latter part of the innings.
Kohli made batting look easy on a pitch where everyone else struggled. The ease with which he found the balls to be hit for sixes at cruicial times was a joy to watch. The two sixes off two consecutive balls in the 19th over bowled by Haris Rauf were awesome and, in a way, took the wind out of Pakistan's sails. Instead of India needing 28 off 8 balls, the equation reduced to a very gettable 16 off 6.
And then came the incredible last over when so many things happened to keep everyone on the tenterhooks. Hardik Pandya got out off the first ball. Dinesh Kartik got stumped, Kohli hit a six. Shadab bowled a no-ball and two wides. But fortunately, it went well for India and Ashwin lifted the last ball away from the infield and got the winning runs.
It was a fitting end to an incredible match. But in the end, one thing was clear - Virat Kohli is back in roaring form and it was a delight to see the vintage power hitting, the great timing and the nifty running between the wickets. Most importantly, King Kohli showed that he is back to being hungry for runs and as always, his timing is perfect - at the start of the World Cup.
