A lot was expected from Virat Kohli when the Indian team’s star batter walked out to join Rohit Sharma in India’s first Super 8 match against Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan at the ICC T20 World Cup on Thursday. Facing criticism for his lack of batting success in the ICC event, a pressured Kohli made an impressive start against the Afghan bowlers during the powerplay after captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Regaining some form and displaying flashes of his vintage self, Kohli recreated his iconic T20 World Cup shot during the Super 8 clash. Kohli had played a spectacular knock against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup 2022, where the 35-year-old smashed a remarkable six off Haris Rauf in India’s dramatic run chase against Babar Azam’s team at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The batting icon replicated a similar shot off Afghan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq.
Kohli’s six-hitting prowess brought back memories for fans of his batting masterclass against Pakistan on the grandest stage. Notably, commentator Gerard Whateley had described Kohli’s famous shot against Rauf as the ‘shot of an emperor.’ Although Kohli seemed to be in top form, star spinner Rashid halted the former India skipper’s momentum.
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Kohli chose to take on Rashid after the powerplay but couldn’t clear Mohammad Nabi at wide long-off. He was dismissed for a run-a-ball 24, with Rashid getting the upper hand in their contest. In T20 cricket, Kohli has accumulated 108 runs off 85 balls against Rashid, who has dismissed him three times in 10 innings.
“Kohli goes down the ground, Kohli goes out of the ground” 🇮🇳🇵🇰😭😭😭#T20WorldCup2024 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/3zo09vzzKL
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) June 20, 2024
Earlier, Rashid claimed the crucial wicket of Rishabh Pant in the seventh over of India’s innings. The spin maestro also dismissed Shivam Dube, taking three wickets in his game-changing spell. The Afghanistan captain bowled four overs, giving away just 26 runs against India.