Ominous for the opposition, a run-machine for the Men in Blue. The man who redefined consistency, once again made a mockery of the Australian total in the high-octane clash, in his own style.
The stakes were high in the crucial knock-out match, but it felt like this man was from a different galaxy as he churned out a T20 innings of supremacy and domination, even without any hard-hitting or fancy unorthodox shots. It was just pure class blended with a canny ability to pierce gaps and score boundaries at will.
He came, he saw, and he conquered. And that was ‘the Virat Kohli show’ in a nutshell.
Eulogize that innings as much as you can, still it will remain a cut above your praises. It’s as futile as writing an article on how great Sachin Tendulkar is. You will struggle to describe it in words. Yes, it was an innings of some class and determination.
The openers got out cheaply, and as usual Suresh Raina followed them. India were three down, with not much score on the board. Yuvraj Singh joined Kohli in the middle to steady the chase. Yuvi departed after a gritty knock of 21 from 18 balls, but India still had a long way to go.
Shane Watson was menacing, as he mixed slower balls and deadly Yorkers very well to strangle the chase. India required 67 runs from 6 overs and things weren’t looking bright for the hosts at that point.
Also read: India vs West Indies 2nd Semi Final, T20 WC 2016 match prediction, squads, match date and match time
The Dhoni-Kohli partnership
Everyone pinned their hopes and expectations on Kohli, and to say the least, he shouldered the responsibility with absolute pleasure. However, he needed a reliable partner at the other end to execute this arduous mission successfully. Someone who can stay there with him till the end with a responsible cameo knock.
Like a partner in crime, or a brother in need. M.S. Dhoni, someone who reads Kohli’s game better than anyone else, came at the right time and gave the much-needed support to make the impossible possible. Along with Kohli, the 34-year-old ran like a hare across the 22 yards, converting singles into magical doubles, while hitting some boundaries at crucial junctures to keep things within the reach.
He also chipped in with some timely advice, to calm the pumping young mind of the Delhi dasher, and India, or rather Kohli chased down the target with 5 balls to spare.
Well, that’s the strength of the Dhoni-Kohli partnership. At one end, you have someone who finds fun in teasing the fielders with gap-shots, while at the other end you have a brutal hitter who doesn’t even bother about the fielders while going for the big shots. At one end you have someone who averages more than 120 in successful T20 run chases while at the other you have one of the most sensible batsmen in the cricketing world.
Both of them value their wickets very much, as we can rarely see Dhoni or Kohli throwing their wickets away, playing loose shots in crunch situations. As both of them are insanely quick between the wickets, probably the fastest running-pair in the world, runs will flow even without boundaries and it need some skill to break this ‘Dhoni-Kohli wall’.
Add to that the pressure handling abilities of these players, you have one of the most dangerous batting duo in limited over cricket. A chaser at one end and a finisher at the other!
The best Captain-Vice Captain pair in the world
For many teams, Vice-Captain is nothing more than a myth. For the likes of West Indies and Sri Lanka, it may feel like even captaincy is assigned by some rotation policy. Earlier, South Africa had 3 different captains for the 3 formats of the game (now Amla has resigned from test captaincy after a couple of series losses, and that reflects his mental toughness), the explanation was to share the burden of captaincy.
If responsibility is a burden, no wonder they choke in crucial matches. Someone should be there to lead from the front in demanding situations. Or someone who can produce a ‘captain’s knock’ under pressure. Fortunately, India is blessed with 2 magnificent leaders in the same line-up.
An ice-cool Dhoni and a fiery Kohli makes a deadly Captain-Vice Captain pair. While making decisions, the tactical wicket-keeper is propped up by an aggressive leader at mid-off. Kohli’s fielding position is a clear advantage in the initial overs, as he can keep on motivating the bowlers when they struggle, which Dhoni always can’t from 15 yards behind the stumps.
While Dhoni’s calmness infuses confidence in the players, it’s the Kohli’s zeal that invigorates the whole team while defending totals. With some immaculate fielding in the deep in the death overs, the 27-year-old leads by example and backs his skipper very well.
And that’s how Kohli and Dhoni complement each other on the field to create wonders for the Indian cricket team.
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