Kohli leads India to victory

VIRAT Kohli helped India survive a top-order collapse and beat Pakistan by six wickets in a tight game yesterday to revive their World Twenty20 campaign and maintain their impeccable World Cup record against their archrivals.

Kohli’s magnificent 55 not out was the difference between the sides in the rain-hit 18-overs-a-side match, coming under tremendous pressure on a prodigiously turning track at Eden Gardens.

Chasing 119 to secure their first win of the tournament, India slumped to 23/3 in the fifth over before Kohli and Yuvraj Singh (24) shared a match-high 61-run partnership to virtually take the game away from Pakistan.

Home captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a six to level the scores and took a single to seal victory with 13 balls to spare as India bounced back from their shock opening defeat by New Zealand.

Kohli made batting look ridiculously easy on a difficult track, embellishing his unbeaten 37-ball knock with seven fours and a six, and he was the obvious choice for the man-of-the-match award.

Put in to bat on a moistureladen Eden Gardens pitch that saw heavy rains through the day, Pakistan openers Sharjeel Khan (17) and Ahmed Shehzad (25) played cautiously at first and then lost their wickets as they tried to accelerate.

Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Suresh Raina looked dangerous in their opening spells on a track that provided turn and bounce.

Shoaib Malik (26) and Umar Akmal (22) added 41 runs in four overs to take Pakistan past the 100-mark to ensure their pace-heavy attack had something to defend. —