On October 23, 2022, Team India beat Pakistan by four wickets in the T20 World Cup 2022 game played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Winning the toss, India skipper Rohit Sharma elected to field
first. Pacer Arshdeep Singh delivered a couple of breakthroughs to India, dismissing openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan within the powerplay. Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed stitched a 76-run stand off 50 balls to help Pakistan make a comeback in the contest. Iftikhar went on to score 51 off 34 balls and his innings was studded with six boundaries (two fours and four maximums).
Riding on Shan Masood’s unbeaten 52 off 42 and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 16 off eight, Pakistan erected a fine total of 159/8 in their 20 overs. Arshdeep and Hardik Pandya took three wickets each for India. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami also bagged one wicket apiece.
Virat Kohli’s batting heroics helped India complete the target in a last-ball thriller
Chasing the target, India lost four wickets at a score of 31 in 6.1 overs. KL Rahul (four off eight), Rohit Sharma (four off seven), and Axar Patel (two off three) got dismissed on single-digit scores. Suryakumar Yadav, who came at number four, fell against Haris Rauf after amassing 15 runs off 10 balls.
In the crunch situation, Virat Kohli stepped up and built a 113-run partnership with Hardik Pandya for the fifth wicket off 78 deliveries. India required 16 off the last over and Pandya lost his wicket against Mohammad Nawaz while attempting to play a huge shot. He departed after scoring 40 runs off 37 balls.
Kohli held his nerves and struck a maximum to take India close. With two required off two, Dinesh Karthik got run out. However, Nawaz bowled a wide which leveled the scores. Ravichandran Ashwin showed nerves of steel and struck a four and took the team home. Kohli became the Player of the Match (POTM) for his 82* off 53.
