Cricket News

‘I have no answers’ – Virat Kohli recollects the whirlwind knock that he played against Pakistan in the 20-20 World Cup 2022

India won the game off the last ball.

Apr 2, 2023 2:04 pm

Virat Kohli was going through a bad phase of form last year. But things turned around for him in the Asia Cup 2023. He scored his maiden T20 hundred against Afghanistan. The Delhi batter then carried his form into the 2022 20-20 World Cup. He scored a whirlwind unbeaten 82 to help India win a last ball encounter at the MCG.

Kohli recollected that amazing innings at an event in PUMA. The former India captain said that he could not make any sense of it. Pakistan made their way to 160 in the first innings. Shaan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed scored half-centuries for Pakistan. In the second innings, India were in a spot of bother at 31-4. Then Kohli and Hardik Pandya put pressure on the Pakistan bowlers with a 113-run partnership. The Men in Blue needed 31 off 12. Kohli changed the game in the 19th over with two consecutive sixes of Haris Rauf in the last two balls.

Rahul bhai came to me and said something, I don’t remember what he said- Virat Kohli

Kohli then along with Ashwin scored 17 runs in the last over to help India win. This is what Virat Kohli felt about the innings. “I still can’t make any sense of it. That’s a very honest admission. And a lot of people have tried to ask me what were you thinking, how did you plan and I have no answers. The fact of the matter is that I was so much under pressure that my mind had shut off completely by the 12th or 13th over.

We were 31 for 4 and I had just run Axar out. I was 12 off 25, or something. I remember in the break, Rahul bhai came to me and I don’t remember what he said. I swear and I even told him this as well. I told him, ‘I have no idea what you told me in that break because I was zoned out’,” Kohli added.

“My instinct took over. So when I stopped thinking and planning, whatever God-given talent I have that came to the surface and then I felt like something higher was guiding me. I can’t claim any of that. I was trying to do it before as well but it wasn’t working. The lesson for me was stop using your mind so much because it actually pushes you away from real magic. What happened that night, I can never explain it and it won’t happen ever again.”