Cometh the hour, Cometh the man. There are very few people on earth who excel under pressure. Indias run machine Virat Kohli is surely one of them. In his international career, he has bailed India out of trouble on so many occasions that it has almost become a norm.Whenever India is in trouble, Virat Kohlis bat stands tall. It seems that pressure gets the better out of him. He becomes a lethal force when he is thrown into pressure cooker situations.In the all-important ICC T20 World Cup 2016 clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, the man again stood tall and weathered the storm to guide India to their 11 consecutive win against Pakistan in the world cups. This man is surely a class apart and he has amassing runs at will.There are several other instances when the classy right-hander stood tall in pressure situations.
#1 72 not out against South Africa in World T20 semifinal 2014
Chasing a stiff target of 173 in the all-important World T20 semifinal of the 2014 edition, India needed someone to guide the ship against a formidable South African bowling lineup. The right-hander came to the rescue as he scored a magnificent unbeaten 72 to guide India to the World T20 final in 2014.
He was in sublime touch throughout that tournament and he excelled in the big game against a big opponent too. After a good start by the openers Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, India were in a spot of bother after losing wickets in a quick succession.
Virat weathered the storm with his stupendous batting and eventually guided India to famous win over the Proteas. According to Virat, it was his best knock given the magnitude of the game.
#2 133 not out against Sri Lanka, in CB Series 2012
Needing to chase an improbable 321 in 40 overs to stay alive in the tri-nation tournament, Virat Kohli came all guns blazing as he scored a scintillating 133 off just 86 balls as India chased the target in just 36.4 overs. He was particularly severe on Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga as he clobbered 24 runs off a Malinga over. He flicked and drove to make life miserable for Malinga.
India needed that big win badly to stay afloat in the tournament. He delivered it when it mattered the most.
#3 78 not out against Pakistan in World T20 2012
India lost their first super eight encounter against Australia badly and they needed a win against the archrivals Pakistan to stay alive in the tournament. Chasing a target of 129, India lost Gautam Gambhir early.
Virat came to the crease when the score read 1 for 1. He weathered the storm with some smart batting and stitched a crucial partnership with Virender Sehwag to guide India to a victory. He scored 78 off just 61 balls and remained unbeaten and ensured no further hiccups.
The win was vital for India and it was the man once again who excelled under pressure.
#4 43 against England in ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Final
Virat Kohli has scored many 100s and 50s. But this knock of 43 he and India will remember forever. In a rain-curtailed ICC Champions Trophy Final in 2013, India batting first lost wickets in quick succession and soon found themselves reeling at 66 for 4.
It was a shortened game and the match was reduced to 20 overs a side. However, Virat Kohli held his composure and played a crucial knock of 43 which helped India post a decent total of 129 on the board. Had he not been there, India would have crumbled for sure.
The total turned out to be a winning one as India defeated England by 5 runs to lift the Champions trophy.
#5 49 against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2016
Chasing a paltry target of 83, India were rocked back early due to a breathtaking spell by Pakistan’s tainted pacer Mohammad Amir. Amir was generating good pace and swing as he scalped 3 wickets to put India in the back foot.
The green pitch at Mirpur was also assisting him. But one man from India came tall once again. He understood the conditions and played sensibly to guide India to a victory. He was out for 49 and it was a harsh decision. But he did the job and batted like a champion under pressure.
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