Don't think anyone could've hit those two sixes in 19th over except Virat Kohli: Hardik Pandya

It was a game to remember for ages at the MCG stadium as India and Pakistan fought it out tooth and nail till the last over in the T20 World Cup 2022. The fans witnessed something extraordinary as Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40) bailed India out of a tough situation and Kohli’s unbeaten 82 off 53 balls led to a stunning victory for the Men in Blue. During the process, Kohli hit two sixes off the last two balls of Haris Rauf’s final over which was crucial for India’s win at the end.  

With 28 needed off the last eight balls, Kohli smashed one down the ground by picking the slower one of Rauf. The 33-year-old immediately followed it up with a flick shot on the legs that went sailing into the crowd to bring down the equation. Pandya came down in a thumping way to acknowledge the sixes at the crease and he spoke about the speciality of the shots after the game. 

The best part about what I loved about Kohli [doing that] is we struggled, bro: Hardik Pandya 

Pandya mentioned the importance of two shots in the context of the game and felt that they will hold a unique place in his heart for the way they struggled in the run-chase. He reckoned that the two shots could only have been played by Virat Kohli and revealed that the early struggle including the top-order collapse that made it quite special. 

"Those two shots - I knew how important those two shots were. Let's be honest, even if you [looking at Kohli] had missed one, they were running ahead of us," Pandya was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.

"I've hit a lot of sixes but those are special, special, and really special in my heart now because of what [it] meant for both of us. I've played cricket, so much cricket, but I don't think anyone could've played those two shots except Kohli."

"The best part about what I loved about him [doing that] is we struggled, bro. Why it was so special was we struggled together. This would've been not this special if we had just cruised through. You would have played exceptional shots, I would have been [in the flow]... This was special because we knew we'd struggled," he added.