
India's star batter Virat Kohli broke into tears after guiding the team to a stunning victory against Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Kohli smashed a half-century to help India register a four-wicket win on the final ball at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
After winning the toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bowl first as Men In Blue restricted the arch-rivals to a 159-8 score. The chase appeared to be going badly as at one point they struggled at 45-4 off 10 overs.
But a decisive partnership (113 runs) between Kohli and all-rounder Hardik Pandya anchored India's victory, with Ravichandran Ashwin hitting the winning run against spin-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz in the final over.
Both the players celebrated the crucial win as India started the campaign to launch their bid for the first Twenty20 World Cup crown since 2007.
Emotions were high at MCG, with Kohli breaking into tears. Cricket analyst and commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted, "I have seen Virat for so many years. I have never seen a tear in his eyes. I saw it today. This was unforgettable."
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Cricketing stalwarts, including legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, lauded Kohli's innings, terming it his "best" in his career so far. During the post-match presentation, Kohli said, "It's a surreal atmosphere, I have no words, no idea how that happened. I am really lost for words. Hardik believed we can do it, if we stayed till the end."
"When Shaheen bowled from the pavilion end, that's when we decided to take him down. Haris is their prime bowler, and I hit those two sixes. The calculation was simple. Nawaz had one over to bowl, so if I could take Haris down, they would panic," Kohli said.
"From 28 in 8, it came down to 16 to 6. I tried to stick to my instincts. The first one was back of a hand-slower ball (the one over long-on). Standing here I just feel like it was meant to be. Till today Mohali was my best innings against Australia. Today I will count this one higher. Hardik kept pushing me. The crowd has been phenomenal. You guys (fans) kept backing me and I am grateful for your support," he added.
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