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India's talisman Sunil Chhetri delivered another memorable performance as he dismantled arch-rivals Pakistan with a clinical hattrick at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday, June 21.
The Blue Tigers pounced on the Shaheens right from the initial exchange when Chhetri capitalized on a horrendous error from opposition shot-stopper Saqib Hanif. After the custodian made a meal while clearing a regulation backpass, the 38-year-old forward latched on to the loose ball and gave India the lead in the 10th minute.
Six minutes later, the referee awarded a penalty to the hosts after a Pakistani defender handled the ball inside the box. Chhetri was once again up to the task as he beat Hanif with great panache from the spot. With a 2-0 lead in the bag, Igor Stimac's men controlled the game expertly.
Sunil Chhetri's hattrick opportunity arrived in the 73rd minute when he set off on an explosive run and was pushed by Muhammad Sufyan in the opposition box. The referee once again pointed to the spot and the result of the penalty was no different.
The stadium celebrated in unison as the skipper became only the fourth Indian footballer to score a hat-trick against Pakistan - the previous three being Puran Bahadur Thapa, IM Vijayan, and Jeje Lalpekhlua.
The visitors were left shell-shocked while Chhetri added another feather to his illustrious cap. Previously, the Bengaluru FC forward had scored only a lone goal against Pakistan back in 2005, his maiden strike in International football.
Sunil's performance against the neighboring rivals immediately made fans draw a parallel between him and Virat Kohli, the Indian cricketing stalwart.
While bilaterals between India and Pakistan have become all but extinct, Kohli has never failed to own the arch-rivals when it comes to global events. His unbeaten 82 off 53 balls in a thrilling run-chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the 2022 T20 World Cup immediately comes to mind. Another match-winning effort came in the 2016 edition when he slammed 55* off 37 deliveries.
Kohli’s tally of 488 runs in all T20Is against Pakistan is head and shoulders above all Indian cricketers. Even the 50-over events have followed a similar script. The talisman’s 107 in Adelaide (2015) and a blazing 65-ball 77 in Manchester (2019) adorn the list. Even though he failed in the summit clash of the 2017 Champions Trophy, his unbeaten 81 grabbed the headlines in the league stage.
Here are some of the tweets that likened the two Indian sporting legends for the ability to deliver against Pakistan:
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Although Sunil Chhetri's hat-trick against Pakistan was the highlight reel of the night, India also, very importantly, secured their seventh consecutive win since the turn of the year. This was another performance where Igor Stimac's men showed great defensive resilience and completely silenced the opposition attackers.
Along with Sunil's three strikes, Udanta Singh, off the bench, added a fourth for India late in the game. Mingled with their success in the recently-concluded Intercontinental Cup, the performance against the arch-rivals will give India a huge boost ahead of a more stern test against Nepal on June 24.
