'When I was 12 of 21...' - Virat Kohli thought he was 'messing the game up' during MCG blitz vs Pakistan

Virat Kohli produced another masterclass while chasing as India beat Pakistan by four wickets in a thrilling Super 12 clash at the T20 World Cup 2022 edition. Playing at the iconic MCG, Melbourne, India asked Pakistan to bat first and restricted them to 159-8. In reply, India were 31 for 4 before Kohli's 82 not out, along with Hardik Pandya's 37-ball 40, propelled India to a four-wicket win on the last ball of the run-chase.

Kohli, at No. 3, joined the run-chase with KL Rahul being out for 4. Soon, skipper Rohit Sharma also joined Rahul back in the pavillion and India were reduced to 31 for 4. Hardik-Kohli stitched a 113-run fifth-wicket stand and took the game deeper. While Hardik was the aggressor at the start, he somehow fell behind but Kohli timed his acceleration and played some unbelievable shots at the backend of the innings to take India to a stunning win.

Kohli was adjudged the Player-of-the-Match for his breathtaking 53-ball unbeaten 82, lacked with 6 fours and 4 sixes. At first, he was struggling and started slowly as he was 12 off 21 balls. Nonetheless, he attacked the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf (Pakistan's best bowler of the evening) and Md Nawaz to help India open its account in the tournament, in Australia.

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Speaking to Star Sports after the match, Kohli recalled his initial struggles and said, "Honestly, I was feeling a lot of pressure at that stage. But then when he came in and he hit a few boundaries, I kind of opened up. That partnership, we didn't even realise when we got to our 100. We kept talking, we kept running hard and kept watching their body language. We knew it would turn at some stage, it turned quite late to be honest. We would have liked to do it earlier."

"All these things look great at the end, to be honest. When I was 12 of 21, I was like 'I am really messing this game up. I am not putting ball in the gaps'. But when you have experience and understand the value of batting deep, that's always been my role-playing for India. I know that I can do a lot of the power-hitting towards the end of the innings," the former captain asserted.

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"I told Hardik that if we go after Haris Rauf, if he goes for a big over, they will panic big time. And that's exactly what happened."

"A lot of credit should go to Hardik, he came and he was very, very positive. He kept telling me to be positive and keep pushing it in the gaps. He was telling me to take the game deep and kept believing in it," Kohli further added.

India will now take on the Netherlands on Thursday evening (October 27) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney and aim to make it two wins in a row at the T20 WC, being held Down Under.