Brains and brawns: Walking through the soul-stirring final over in India's win over Pakistan
With 16 needed off the final over and his partner-in-heist Hardik Pandya dismissed off the first ball of the over, the onus was on Virat Kohli to carry India home. The latest update to the playing conditions turned out to be a headache for India because Kohli was no longer on strike after Hardik's dismissal despite the batters crossing over.
***Batters returning when caught:*When a batter is out Caught, the new batter will come in at the end the striker was, regardless of whether the batters crossed prior to the catch being taken.
Previously, in case the batters crossed before a catch was taken, the non-striker would take strike the next ball while the new batter would be at the non-striker's end.
From October 1, 2022, the incoming batter would take strike even if the batters crossed over during the catch. This change meant that Kohli, adrenaline still rushing after two sixes to end the penultimate over off Haris Rauf, Pakistan's in-form death bowler, was restricted to watching the action from the non-striker's end.
This would change next ball with Dinesh Karthik slicing a high full toss for a single and Kohli took charge immediately, calmly driving one to long-on before letting his athleticism take over with a quick couple of runs.
With no overs left from the quicks, the heat was on Nawaz to restrict Kohli, and he resorted to the high full-toss, high-pace strategy to take the batter by surprise. Instead, a composed Kohli, well and truly buzzing with the crowd going berserk, flayed it across the line for a maximum.
The no-ball call which ensued infuriated Pakistan further, and meant that six runs were needed off three balls with Kohli facing a free-hit ball.
Match highlights of India snatching an ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 thriller from Pakistan after a masterclass from Virat Kohli propelled them toward a stunning victory off the final ball.
A wide off the next ball ensured that the free-hit was carried over. The wild slog off the next ball was missed, but Kohli's sharp thinking saw India sneak in three runs as byes.
Pakistan appealed for a dead ball, rushing to the on-field umpires to query about the running since the bails were disturbed after Kohli missed his heave. However, in this case, the delivery was a free hit and as such, the ball wasn't dead after it hit the stumps.
The three runs taken off the ball ultimately proved to be crucial with Dinesh Karthik dismissed next ball and the match running down to the very final delivery.
Unbeaten on 82 off 53 balls, Kohli's innings was studded with treats that would delight a photographer, but it was perhaps his acute awareness in the cauldron of pressure that ultimately proved to be the difference in a thriller for the ages.