Virat Kohli’s classic powers India to pull off World Cup classic

The blockbuster T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan ended with a frantic last over that featured two wickets, two extras, Virat Kohli being bowled off a free shot, and a cool finish by Ravichandran Ashwin.

While the match itself was a classic, the nine-ball last over absolutely lived up to the expectations and anticipation built up in the lead-up to Sunday’s big-ticket event, which was played in front of a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Kohli had just completed his half-century when he struck their most impactful bowler Haris Rauf for two spectacular sixes, one a lofted backfoot drive over long-on and the other a flip over square leg.

With Kohli in his zone and Hardik Pandya looking to explode, the game came down to 16 from the last over.

After the Pakistani speed trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf had completed their quotas, all eyes were on Mohammad Nawaz, who had surrendered 29 runs in his previous three overs.

First, Nawaz surprised the Pakistan team by outwitting Pandya, who mistimed a flat delivery. With the implementation of new rules, Kohli was left at the non-striking end.

The next ball brought drama as Kohli hit a waist-high full toss for a six over deep square leg and then appealed for a no ball.

Marais Erasmus did not signal anything at square leg, leaving umpire Rod Tucker at the bowling end to signal a no ball.

Discussions ensued before both umpires cooled things down, and Nawaz delivered a wide in an attempt to keep it out of Kohli’s grasp with the following ball.

The wide meant that the free hit remained, else Kohli would have walked back to the dressing room after being bowled. Instead, the pair ran hard for three minutes.

Mohammad Rizwan brilliantly stumped the designated finisher Karthik, who needed two out of two.

Kohli was on 82 when Ashwin took over with two balls to go.

As Nawaz darted one down the leg side for a wide, the experienced off-spinner looked composed and moved away.

With the scores deadlocked, up to seven players converged on Ashwin. But, instead of a Super Over, he calmly cleared the infield for a single, prompting wild celebrations in the winning side and among Indian fans.