Final Ball Thriller

While the world cup is going on in full swing , the tournament is not gathering as many eyeballs as pre-Covid times , and the trend seems worrying .

But contrary to the very trend came about a match which was expected to be an exciting game , overpromised , and exceeded all of our expectations . India vs Pakistan has always been an encounter to look forward to , especially in recent times where Pakistan has come up on top more than not , so India watched this game with bated breath .

Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first . An excellent decision , as shown by the quick bowling for Arshdeep Singh . Redeeming himself from the last time these two teams clashed , Arshdeep took out both their openers for cheap and in under 4 overs . In fact , it wasnt for Masood Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed , Pakistan may not have been able to score a competitive score on this scorching pitch . Slowly but steadily Masood Ali built up his 50 , while Ahmed made sure the run rate was not lagging far behind . While no other batsman made an impact this large, near the death overs it was Shaheen Afridi ( this time batting ) who hit a 6 and a 4 to drag Pakistan to a score of 159 .

While it looked like a mediocre score on the average pitch , on the dry pitch of Melbourne and against the fierce pace bowlers of Pakistan , it was a daunting task for India . The start was not flattering either . In 6.1 overs , India lost 4 wickets for only 31 runs , with Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya on strike. Both Kohli and Hardik preferred to stay their ground and not take any risky shots at first , stabilising their innings till the 15th over . Once the asking rate crossed 15 though , Virat Kohli released the brakes and went berserk . With 31 runs required off the last 2 overs , Virat Kohli went after their ace bowler Haris Rauf and scored 15 runs .

While the pressure was still on India , courtesy a no-ball ( still controversial in media due to height ) and a few extras , India scored the last run off the last ball and finally avenged their last defeat to Pakistan in the Asia cup .

Amidst the torrent of hate and criticism , what inspired me , and definitely many more , was how the team, and especially Kohli himself believed in Virat Kohli . When many people believed he should leave , Virat stepped to remind everyone why he is one of the greatest players to don the Indian jersey . With his revitalisation alone , India has gone from world cup contenders to tournament favourites . That is the impact of Virat Kohli , and that is the fear and pressure one man can create in cricket , solely by his potential to win games .

Have a great week ahead , and have your eyes peeled for the upcoming World cup games !