Everyone today talks about Virat Kohli's downfall. They say keep the ball at the 4th or 5th stump, and you'll get Kohli out. But deep down, they also know and they also see the celebration of the bowler and the captain; it's almost like they’ve won the match. It’s a vice-versa situation: pressure increases in the Indian dugout after Virat’s wicket, and simultaneously, pressure decreases in the opponent’s dugout.
In the 2016 T20 World Cup, let’s look at the stats of the star batters: Dhoni scored 89, Rohit scored 88, Yuvraj scored 52, and Dhawan scored 43. Their total is 272, while Virat alone scored 273. Let's talk about one particular match in that World Cup…
On 27th March 2016, India vs. Australia in Mohali, India was batting second, chasing a target of 161 set by Australia. Our innings began and by the end of the powerplay, the score was 37/2. After 16 overs, the required run-rate was 12.4, and everyone thought the match was in Australia’s favour. But this man did not. He chased down the score in the last over with 5 balls remaining. There is a visual to capture, the ball crossing the ropes and Virat crossing the word called "losing." He kneeled on the pitch, removed his gloves and helmet, feeling like the job was done, which put smiles on many faces.
Now, let’s talk about another match…
On 23rd October 2022, India vs. Pakistan in Melbourne, same scenario: India batting second and the target set by Pakistan was 160. Our innings began and by over 2, Rahul got out. By over 4, Rohit got out. By over 6, Surya got out, and by over 7, Axar got out. After the powerplay, the score was 31/3 with the run-rate around five. After 10 overs, the score was 45/4 with a run-rate of 4.5. Virat and Hardik had a good partnership and brought the stats to India needing 48 runs from 18 balls.
Now the real show has started…
Virat was on strike, Shaheen had the ball, and the first ball was a FOUR, bringing up 50 for Virat. He did not lift his bat because he knows when to lift it. The 18th over finished, and Virat had smashed 3 boundaries. Now the 19th over still favoured Pakistan according to the win predictor. Haris Rauf into the attack, and with 25 needed off 8 balls, he hit a six on 18.5 and another six on 18.6—the first six called the "Shot of the Generation." In the last over, 16 were needed off 6 balls. The excitement was high, and players were in shock. On the first ball, Hardik got out. With 13 needed off 3 balls, Virat hit a SIX and it was a no-ball. Yes, India was in the game. DK got out, and Ashwin, the master mind, left the wide ball in that tense situation. Needing 1 off 1 ball, Ashwin hit the ball over the covers and started running. Virat hit the ground as India won the match. That day, the noise spread around 4 kilometres in Melbourne, and legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan danced with joy.
Virat is a once-in-a-generation player. At the age of 36, he sprints like a 16-year-old. It’s unreal…