'Felt that game was meant to be finished by me' - Ravichandran Ashwin recalls India's famous win against Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cup 2022

Veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recalled team India's phenomenal win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The Men in Blue registered an epic four-wicket win over Pakistan in the Super 12 clash of the showpiece event.

India star batter Virat Kohli single-handedly powered the Rohit Sharma-led side to a win, scoring an unbeaten 82 off 53 deliveries. However, it was Ashwin who came to bat down the order and finished the game with a spectacular boundary when India needed one run off the final delivery to win.

While speaking to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Ashwin recalled the remarkable win over the Babar Azam and Co. Ashwin, who came to the crease when Dinesh Karthik was dismissed, said he was cursing the keeper-batter for putting him in jeopardy. 

The 36-year-old also said that Kohli who was along with him at the crease gave him seven options to play the final ball, and he was thinking that he wouldn’t be batting at number eight if he was capable of pulling off all such shots. He further stated that when he looked at Kohli's eyes, it gave him the impression that the former captain was possessed.

"I was cursing Dinesh Karthik for asking me to do the tougher job. Virat just gave me like seven options to play off that one ball. If I was only capable of all those shots, I wouldn't be batting at number eight. I looked at Virat and his eyes seemed like he was possessed. and I said okay he is on another planet and let me come back to Earth," Ashwin said.

Pakistan bowler Mohammad Nawaz bowled a wide as the scores got tied.  Ashwin stated that when Nawaz bowled that wide, he felt that the match was already in India's grasp and that brought positivity in him. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer went on to say that he felt the game was meant to be finished by him. He also lauded Kohli for his magnificent innings, adding it was one of the best games he had ever seen or been a part of.

“The moment he bowled a wide I knew I won the contest. So that's where I brought my positivity from. Every time I see the video on social media I think about what if the ball had just gripped and hit my pad. I just felt that game was meant to be finished by me. Honestly terrific innings by Virat and yeah it's one of the better games I have watched and been a part of,” the veteran added.