It was one of the most memorable nights of my life: Virat Kohli

India’s opening game against Pakistan of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the MCG on Sunday evening was a rollercoaster ride for not just the players, but also every fan who watched the game. More than 90000 people at the stadium witnessed the thrilling encounter, where India bagged a close victory on the final delivery of the ultimate over.

Virat Kohli was the hero of the game, as he held his calm from the very beginning when he came out to bat in the second over, after KL Rahul’s dismissal. The former India skipper kept going till the final over, and his knock under pressure, alongside his ability to anchor the innings in such a crunch situation, worked wonders for team India. Thanks to his unbeaten 53-ball 82*, India pulled off a miraculous 160-run chase.

Notably, Kohli was not the only player to help India emerge victorious. After picking up three wickets in the first innings, all-rounder Hardik Pandya stitched up a 113-run partnership with Kohli for the fifth wicket. If the two had not maintained composure on the field in the situation when India had lost four early wickets, the Men in Blue would not have seen the result in their favor.

After the thrilling game, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya got talking about their experience, and the video was shared by the BCCI. Pandya asked Kohli to share his thoughts about the game, and how he felt after notching up the crucial runs for his team which led to India’s victory. Kohli adjudged the game as one of the most memorable nights of his life, as he said:

“It was one of the most memorable nights of my life. I have played for 15 years and have had emotions like this. The last time I experienced something like this was against Australia in Mohali. I was a bit emotional then and right now maybe because that was more like a semi-final or quarter-final for us, but here it is the first game. As happy as we are and as emotional as we are, the adrenaline is high and it will take a bit of time to sink in but we understand as professionals that it is just the first game.”

This has given us tremendous belief: Kohli

Kohli also said that the win became even more special because the batters had to struggle for every run before getting so close to the mark, and eventually finishing the chase. He also revealed the importance of winning a game early on in the tournament, which acts as a morale booster for everyone in the camp.

“Why this is so special because of the situation that we were in, to be able to get the first two points and to get the tournament kick-off for us, is very crucial. Because in 20-20 cricket, especially the World Cup, we have seen in the Asia Cup that if you fall behind once then it is very difficult to catch up so starting right is very important. And thus this has given us tremendous belief and we all just have a smile on our faces and we will just enjoy ourselves in this whole World Cup,” Kohli added.

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