and Ashwin clears one of those infielders!!! What a cool, collected, and elegant finish!!! Full, angling into the stumps, and Ashwin makes a little bit of room and scoops the ball over mid-off. What a finish! What a freaking game!!!
Pakistan vs India, 16th Match, Group 2 at Melbourne,T20 WC, Oct 23 2022 - Ball by Ball Commentary
11.12pm And that concludes our live coverage of this game. I need half an hour of simply sitting down and soaking it all in, and I'm sure you do too. But once you're done, do come back to read and watch all our post-match coverage, which I'm sure will be of the highest quality, much like the game you just witnessed. Congrats to India, tough luck to Pakistan, and let's hope fans on both sides of the divide react to the result with equanimity and the recognition that this was, above all, a superlative game of cricket. Until next time, it's goodbye from me, Matt, Ranjith and Thilak.
Rohit Sharma: "I have no voice left. We were always wanting to make sure we stayed in the game as long as possible. We've been talking constantly about it. No matter what the situation, you've got to believe you can pull through, and that partnership changed the game for us. There was good carry, good swing as well, and we utilised that well up front. That was good to see from the bowling perspective. They batted well in the middle. We knew it would not be an easy target on that pitch. We knew we would have to bat out of our skins. Virat and Hardik are experienced guys. Staying calm and taking it as deep as possible was critical, and they did that. It's good for our confidence to get off the mark in our first game, and the way we won is more pleasing for us, the way we came back. Hats off to Virat. It has to go off as not one of his best, but the best innings he has played for India. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us, and I will expect nothing less wherever we travel in Australia."
Babar Azam: "A tight game. We started well in our bowling, and then all credit to Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli. They shifted the momentum and finished the game well. It's not easy with the new ball, with a little bit of swing and seam. We had a chance, and we just asked the boys to believe in themselves, but again credit to Virat Kohli. We needed a wicket, that's why we utilised our main bowlers [and kept Nawaz for the end]. A lot of positives. The way Iftikhar played, the way Shan played and finished the innings was good for us."
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Virat Kohli is the Player of the Match. He's not able to say much, because it's just too noisy for that. "Well, it's a surreal atmosphere. I honestly have no words. I have no idea how that happened. Hardik kept telling me, just believe we can stay till the end. I'm lost for words. Well, I think when Shaheen bowled from the Pavilion end, I told Hardik we have to take him down. The calculation was simple. Nawaz had one over to bowl, so if I could take Haris down, they would panic. It came down to 16 off 6. I'm kind of lost for words. [On the two sixes off Rauf:] It's just instinctively I saw it, told myself to stay still. The one at long-on was unexpected, it was a back-of-a-length slower ball. The fine leg one, I just threw my bat at it. Till today I said Mohali was my best T20 innings. Then I got 82 off 52, today I got 82 off 53. Both are just as special. All these months when I was struggling, you guys [the crowd] kept me going. Thank you so much."
Lakshitha: "Pakistanis can hold their heads high...! There was once in a generation player between them and victory. This game lived up to it's expectation and a lot more! Thank you cricket!"
Manu: "These last 3 Ind-Pak games have been absolute gems, reminds me of the 2004 series where they played after a long time and almost every game was closely competed. Bring back Ind-Pak bilaterals!"
Sixty: "So which is better, Mohali innings or this one."
Shaik: "The Poll of Cricinfo should have been delayed and this Virat Innings should be included in it or given as wild card entry."
10.54pm Virat Kohli. A few weeks ago, there were people (myself included) asking if he should still be part of India's T20I line-up. There's a reason I'm not a coach or a selector. Let's go back to the seventh over of this innings. India were 31 for 4, and going absolutely nowhere. What followed was a partnership for the ages between Kohli and Hardik Pandya, and when it came down to the finish, when it came down to 28 to win off eight balls, it was Kohli who found the route to the boundary. Two back-to-back sixes off the excellent Haris Rauf, and that put all the pressure on Mohammad Nawaz, whose last over had been held back right until Pakistan could hide him no more. This game began just under four hours ago, but it feels like it began four weeks ago. That's how much drama these two teams have packed into this one evening.
Seven fielders in the circle now.
and Nawaz bowls a wide!!!! Expects Ashwin to try and make room, maybe, and sends a flat, quick one well down the leg side. Ashwin just watches it pass him, and the MCG explodes once more!
Whodathunkit. R Ashwin to face the last ball, with two runs needed. One to tie. Still just four inside the circle.
got him, a stumping off the pads!!! Goes flat, angling down leg, following DK's movement to make room. Looks to sweep, and the ball dribbles off the pad behind the wicket. And Rizwan is alert to the fact that DK has stumbled out of his crease. What a moment. Rizwan is well down the leg side when he collects the ball, and he falls to his right to complete the stumping
Phew. It's down to two off two now, with DK on strike. Absolutely incredible scenes at the G. Do Pakistan bring their fielders in to crowd the ring? Nope, just four inside the circle. Keeper comes back up to the stumps.
bowled him, but it's a free hit! And they run three by the time the throw comes in from the third man region!!! Full, angling into off stump, and Kohli misses his attempted sweep. But he knows it's a free-hit, and he sets off at full pace, as does DK. The ball rolls between the keeper and short third, and they pick up three byes
Five off three.
now he bowls a wide! All the pressure is on the poor bowler, and he looks to keep it away from Kohli's reach, but ends up spearing his wide yorker beyond the off-side tramline
Suddenly, India need 6 off 3. Such a massive difference from 13 off 3.
Babar's having a heated discussion with the umpires. Was that above waist height? Tight call, I would think.
full-toss, full-toss, and it's gone for six!!!! It's only just gone for six, but it's gone for six nonetheless! On off stump, and it's a fairly high full-toss too - it's been called no-ball!!! - and Kohli swats it away over the leg side. Deep square leg leaps to his right, gets a hand to the ball to try and flap it back into play, but it still lands beyond the rope
they need a boundary every ball, almost, but they only get two here. Very full, almost a wide yorker, and Kohli drags it down to long-on, all along the ground
Kohli on strike. Fifteen to win off four balls. Fourteen to tie. Nawaz is basically bowling left-arm medium.
down the track, and he gets a full-toss that's chest-high when he meets it. Would it have been as high if he was standing in his normal position? Probably not. Swatted down to long-on
And with the new T20I rules in place, it'll be Dinesh Karthik on strike and not Kohli, even though the batters crossed over. DK isn't the greatest of starters against spin, usually...
got him, what a strike for Pakistan! Flat, speared into the pads, and Hardik loses his shape completely as he tries to slog this over the leg side. Edges it, and the ball balloons to the fielder at cover point
Mohammad Rizwan is standing back to the spinner! Deep extra-cover, long-off, long-on, cow corner, deep square leg are back.
Fifteen off that over. Twelve off those last two balls. And it comes down to 16 off this final over, with Mohammad Nawaz to bowl. What an incredible game this has been. What an innings Virat Kohli has played.
fullish, angling into leg stump, and Kohli has caused the MCG to explode into pure noise. A flick of the wrists, and the ball sails over the boundary to the left of fine leg. Wow!
okay, wow. Has Kohli ever played a better shot in T20 cricket? Length ball, finishing around bail-high, and Kohli punches it with an almost straight bat, straight back over the bowler's head. Swivels through the hip a little as he does so, a la Jos Buttler, and it easily carries over the rope
hard length., angling into the body. Can't pull that, just manages to send it dribbling towards long-on off the sticker of the bat
What a performance so far from Haris. Three more balls to deliver.
extra bounce. Short outside off, and the ball beats Hardik's attempted uppercut
That's the 100 partnership, by the way.
length ball outside off, slapped on the bounce to deep cover point
Length ball angling into the corridor, sits deep in his crease and flat-bats it along the ground to deep midwicket
Well then. It's down to 31 off 12. What a partnership this has been. Rauf to finish off, which means Nawaz will bowl the 20th.
shot, and it's gone all the way! Terrific, swivelling hook from Kohli! Shaheen goes short, and it ends up just above hip high. steps across, swivels on his back leg, and helps the ball over short fine leg. Times it absolutely perfectly too
shortish slower ball finishing wide of off stump, flat-batted to extra-cover
short, shoulder-high on the stumps. The pull hits the high part of the bat and rolls down to the right of long-on
Over the wicket now.
Lovely placement, and he's managed to get just enough power on it. Makes room, and Afridi looks to follow him with the yorker. Can't quite get his line or length right, and Kohli lifts the low full-toss over extra-cover, and manages to dribble the ball over the boundary, beating long-off and sweeper cover in the process
looks for the yorker again, bowls a low full-toss angling into middle and leg. Makes room and drives to deep cover
Over 20 • IND 160/6