'He had to stay till the end' - Hardik Pandya recalls Kohli's MCG heroics against Pakistan

Several cricketers have performed brilliantly at world stage, in a lot of ICC events. However, very few have managed to come close to Virat Kohli's epic innings of 82 not out against Pakistan during the T20 World Cup 2022, which was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Till date, Kohli has been receiving praises for his grand knock in the high-stakes encounter, as he stayed right till the end to see the team through after a sudden collapse for a not so daunting target set by the Babar Azam-led side. His partnership with Hardik Pandya was the most defining moment of the run chase, which helped India cross the finishing line in a last-ball thriller.

Recently, Pandya shed light on the match and how the duo's batting in the middle was a crucial juncture where both had high hopes and confidence to be able to do it. Pandya further said that they looked at reaching the target ball-by-ball, and chose to target at Pakistan's weaknesses to make a perfect chase out of the game.

“My first thought was obviously that we could do it. It looked like a very steep hill to climb, but for me, I’ve been in many games where you don’t lose a battle until you give up, right? So, it was about believing in ourselves, staying at the crease, and taking the game ball by ball, step by step,”  Hardik Pandya told in a recent video by ICC. 

“Let’s see who cracks under pressure. My primary objective in this game was for Virat to play as long as possible. As soon as I walked in, my only message to him was that he had to stay until the 20th over," Pandya added. 

Speaking of the match, Virat Kohli went on to score an unbeaten 82 off 53 deliveries which included six fours and four sixes. The thrilling encounter has been already added to the annals of the best India vs Pakistan matches in history, and particularly for Virat, the six he hit to Haris Rauf in the nineteenth over has been arguably marked as a career-defining moment for the modern-day master.