Virat Kohli soaked in all the pressure to stand true to the expectations of a jam-packed Eden Gardens against arch-rivals Pakistan.
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Team India has arrived at the UAE shores to participated in the Asia Cup 2022, with the opening match against arch-rival Pakistan to take place on August 28 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Former team India captain, Virat Kohli was the first to dash through to the nets, as talks around his slump in form are louder than ever in his illustrious career so far.
Virat Kohli the first Indian batter to dash out to the nets in their first training session of the Asia Cup.
— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) August 24, 2022
However, public memory is still afresh with respect to the champion batter that he has been all these years for the Indian Cricket team. It was the year 2016, when King Kohli was experiencing one of the golden phases of his Cricketing career across all formats.
It was also the year of the T20 World Cup which took place in India, and one of the only multi-nation tournament, when the fierce competitors India and Pakistan get to face each other.
And in line with the expectations, with India having never lost against their neighbours in an ICC tournament before, Kohli delivered, amidst all the pressure of the world in a run-chase, with the team’s back against the wall.
Virat Kohli soaked in all the pressure
In a match which was reduced to 18-Overs a side, team India were handed a modest total of 119 to carry on with their winning streak against Pakistan in ICC events.
On a pitch which was gripping and challenging to bat on, India lost Rohit Sharma (10), Shikhar Dhawan (6), and Suresh Raina (0) within five Overs of the chase.
Virat Kohli, in at no. 3 in the order, had just watched Dhawan and Raina get out on successive deliveries off pacer Mohammad Sami from the other end, with the scorecard reading 23/3.
However, trusting his technique and brimming with confidence, Kohli soaked in all the pressure alongside the experienced Yuvraj Singh (24), to stitch a half-century stand for the fourth wicket.
Kohli not only played some delightful strokes off the in-rhythm Sami, but also played out the experienced spinners in Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi, on a track which was unexpectedly turning big for the spinners.
Kohli smashes a brilliant half-century
With the assistance of 7 Fours and a Six, Kohli nailed the chase with perfection, with a crafty innings of 55 off mere 37 deliveries, on a pitch where nearly all the batters from both sides struggled to get going and failing to even surpass the 30-run mark.
He was fittingly adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ with the jam-packed Eden Gardens standing up to applaud yet another gem of an innings from the chase master, and the one which will be etched in their memories for quite a many years to come.
