Kohli exudes calm, tames Pak again
DOMINEERING SHOW India post secondhighest event total of 319/3 and then crush rivals by 124 runs via D/L rule
BIRMINGHAM: The feverish build-up to any clash between India and Pakistan includes heightened anticipation of millions of fans over what could give way when their players come under intense pressure. The ICC Champions Trophy build-up has been no different as the tension between the two neighbours had raised the stakes sky-high ahead of Sunday’s Group B encounter at Edgbaston, Birmingham, with bleak weather forecast adding to the mood. However, India skipper Virat Kohli again showed he remains a constant when it comes to subduing Pakistan, with another masterly batting display leading the defending champions to victory.
SKIPPER-COACH ROW
Virat Kohli had been in the spotlight going into the high-voltage clash due to the raging coach-captain saga. There has been concern whether it would distract him and the side. The answer was an emphatic, unbeaten 81 (68 balls – 4x6, 6x3) that took India to 319/3 in the 48-over game, effectively killing Pakistan’s hopes. After Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan laid the platform with halfcenturies and a 136-run partnership, Kohli took charge to demoralise the Pakistan bowlers, after skipper Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and chose to bowl under overcast skies. Kohli eased to his first ODI fifty against Pakistan — he has two ODI centuries — in 58 deliveries, and then shifted gears with a flurry of boundaries to smash 31 runs in the next 10 deliveries. In the last four years, Kohli has taken charge every time India have faced Pakistan in a multiteam event. At the 2015 World Cup, it was his 107 that steered India to a 76-run win in the opening game at Adelaide.
FLASHBACK
In February, 2016, in the Asia Cup T20 final, Kohli again tamed Pakistan. Mohammad Amir was on fire, having left India reeling at 8/3. But Kohli’s unbeaten 49 sealed a five-wicket win. The master chaser was then on display in the 2016 World T20 at Eden. India were under pressure as hosts. But Virat Kohli was on a different plane, producing a nerveless, unbeaten 55 to guide India to a six-wicket win.
On Sunday, he saw Rohit Sharma run out responding to a sharp single and miss his century. But Kohli and Yuvraj Singh (53) hammered 93 in just 9.4 overs.
It was Kohli’s first match leading India in an ICC event, but there no nerves. He dominated the cover area, there was that whip through midwicket off Wahab Riaz, whose next ball went for a straight six. Amir and Riaz hobbled off with leg injuries towards the end, but the batsmen’s domination was complete by then. On match eve, Virat Kohli said he would sound “boring” but the dressing room wasn’t touched by the hype of a Pakistan game. The normal service on Sunday was proof of that.