India’s Virat Kohli(L)embraces captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as they celebrate after victory in the World T20 cricket tournament match between India and Australia at The Punjab Cricket Stadium Association Stadium in Mohali on March 27, 2016.
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Australian commentators were full of praise for Virat Kohli’s thrilling batting on Monday, even though his heroic 82 sent Steve Smith’s team crashing out of the World T20.
“India’s semi against West Indies is on Thursday in Mumbai, while England take on New Zealand in Delhi on Wednesday in the other last-four clash”.
Dhoni, in his trademark style hit the winning runs clobbering James Faulkner for a four towards the long on boundary with five balls to spare.
“That was probably one of the better T20 knocks you will ever see”, Australia opener Aaron Finch told cricket.com.au.
Batting legend Tendulkar himself called Kohli’s innings as “special”.
On Sunday night, an emotional Kohli said, “I don’t really know what to say right now, because I’m overwhelmed by the position we were in and then to take out the match”.
The last 10 overs of the match saw India require 96 runs.
Australian attack fizzled out in front of Kohli onslaught as he single-handedly led India to the semifinals of the World Twenty20.
Ashwin, who was part of the team in Mohali and enjoyed the innings from the dug-out, compared Kohli’s knock to Tendulkar’s famous One Day International innings against the same opposition in Sharjah in April 1998.
Glenn Maxwell was bowled by a slower ball from the returning Bumrah just as he was beginning to look risky and the late acceleration did not materialise.
Dhoni smiled at the mention of the usually aggressive Virat playing a calculated innings saying he would want him to retain his original character that makes him Virat, the victor.
However, this was their most impressive display so far and, with Kohli in supreme form, they will again be heavily fancied to add to their triumph in the inaugural tournament of 2007.
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According to ESPN, Australia had a almost 99 percent chance of winning as the match moved to the late overs, but Kohli’s finish changed that drastically. That is the reason you play the sport.
