His best innings: Rohit Sharma lauds Virat Kohli after his match-winning 82 against Pakistan

Virat Kohli played one of his best knocks in an Indian shirt as the Men in Blue defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by four wickets in a thrilling encounter in the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday. Kohli slammed a stunning unbeaten 82 off 53 deliveries to help India chase down the target of 160 runs and pull off a miraculous win at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

An on-song Kohli produced yet another chasing masterclass as he bailed India out of trouble in the run-chase and kept them in the game till the final over before taking them over the line in what was an epic finish to the much-awaited clash. While Kohli admitted it was his best knock so far in his career, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma echoed similar sentiments after India's famous win.

India were reeling at 31/4 at one stage in the run-chase when Kohli combined with Hardik Pandya to steady the ship. The duo added 113 runs for the fifth wicket before Hardik was dismissed on the first ball off the final over with India requiring 16 runs off five balls.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Kohli then went on to pull off a heist as he scored 8 off the 16 required and six extra runs in the final over to get over the line after a dramatic finish. Rohit hailed Kohli in the post-match presentation for taking the game deep and rated his 82-run-knock as the best innings he has played for India.

"Those two guys (Kohli and Pandya) are experienced. Staying calm and taking the game deep was very critical. Good for our confidence. Always crucial to get off the mark like this. We were in no position to win this. The way we won that's more pleasing for us. Hats off to Virat for the way he batted, has to be the best innings he has played for India," Rohit said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

Also Read: 'It was meant to be,' Virat Kohli after India pull off a memorable victory over Pakistan

When asked to describe his emotions after the thrilling win, Rohit said he had run out of words after witnessing Kohli pull off a masterclass from the dressing room. The Indian captain said the partnership between Kohli and Pandya was the crucial game-changer for India as they always knew they needed to bat out of their skin to chase down the tricky target.

"I was in the dressing room. I don't have any words left. You got to expect something like this in a game like this. We wanted to stay in the game for as long as possible. That crucial partnership was the game-changing moment for us," said Rohit.

After kicking off their campaign with a brilliant victory, India will look to carry on the winning momentum when they take on Netherlands in their next game on Thursday (October 27).