At the end of India’s semi-final victory against England, Rohit Sharma was asked a question about Virat Kohli’s form, who had still not found his groove in the World Cup. The skipper replied, “He’s probably saving it for the finals.” And boy was he right!
After the first over of the final against South Africa, it seemed like India was on course for a massive first-innings total in Barbados. The first over garnered 15 runs for the Men in Blue. With 10 of those coming off Virat Kohli’s bat. But that narrative changed 21 balls later when India found themselves 3 down for just 34 runs. With Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav back in the shed, Axar Patel was sent into bat. It was down to “Bapu” and Virat to get India back on track. And they were successful in doing so. With Axar Patel hitting the occasional ball for a maximum, Virat Kohli was given the “anchoring” role. A role that he knows like the back of his hand.
After stringing together a partnership of 64 runs, Axar Patel was sent back into the dressing room, courtesy of a Quinton de Kock throw which shouldn’t have been run out if not for Axar’s carelessness. But that didn’t bother Virat Kohli, who went about his game and reached his half-century, the first of this tournament off 48 deliveries. With only 3 overs to go and Shivam Dube firing at the other end, Virat Kohli finally decided to pick up his pace. Off the next 10 deliveries, Virat Kohli scored 26 runs which included 2 maximums and 2 fours, before hitting one to wide long on.
A vintage King Kohli innings came to an end, one which helped India post a target of 177 for the Proteas. For his crucial innings of 76 runs off 59 balls, Virat Kohli was adjudged as the Man of the Match. 10 years ago, the run machine had scored a similar knock, 77 off 58 against Sri Lanka in the WT20 Final. The only difference was that this time around, he was on the winning team. And once again, for the last time in T20Is, King Kohli had carried India on his back and avoided a batting collapse.
During the post-match trophy presentation following India’s win in the Final, Rohit Sharma was asked again about Virat Kohli’s crucial knock. To which Rohit replied, “Come the occasion, we know big players will stand up.”
