Mohali: Fists pumping, aggressive cricket and no holds barred celebrations... these are some of the scenes that one usually witnesses when Virat Kohli is on the field. On Sunday night though, it was a very “emotional” Virat that one saw at the PCA Cricket Stadium here. The 26-year-old raised his arms and fell to his knees following an extraordinary knock that carried India past Australia in the World T20 knockout game.
Kohli, hailed by former greats as a genius and the most complete batsman at present, rated his 51-ball unbeaten 82 as his “best innings in the format”.
“It certainly has to be in the top three,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation. “Probably the top right now, because I am a bit emotional, so I would like to put this on top. Against Australia, a world-class side, literally a quarter-final for us, we had to go over the line. There’s a lot riding on us in this World Cup, we are playing at home and the crowds want to see us and we just want to give them as much entertainment and fun as possible.”
If India have managed to reach the last four, it is largely thanks to one man who is taking world cricket by storm. Once an in your face and risk-taking cricketer, Virat’s transformation to someone who loves to shoulder the responsibility and finish the task job for the team is commendable.
Kohli was “overwhelmed” by the magnitude of what was achieved on Sunday night as India knocked Australia out of the tournament from a seemingly difficult position.
