A capacity Sunday (March 27) crowd was on tenterhooks for much of India’s chase of Australia’s 160 for 6, built primarily on a sparkling opening stand between Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch, though with Kohli in the middle, hope always sprang eternal. The India No. 3 did not disappoint, unfurling an innings of such magnificence, beauty and orthodoxy that he left even the Australians spellbound, and booked India a ticket to the March 31 semi-final at the Wankhede against West Indies.
Riding entirely on the back of Kohli’s undefeated 82 off just 51 deliveries with nine beautifully-timed fours and two towering sixes, India eventually won in a canter, by six wickets with five deliveries to spare. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who saw another crucial toss slip away as Steven Smith called right, landed the customary winning blow by spanking James Faulkner wide of mid-on as India hurtled to 161 for 4, but it was the Test captain who walked away with all the accolades.
Kohli is an excitable young man, so how he manages to control his emotions every time the ball is delivered is astonishing. In a wonderful display of awareness and spectacular shot making on a difficult surface once the ball lost its hardness, Kohli accelerated in dramatic style. His half-century, almost regulation in a chase, came off 39 deliveries, but he only took 12 more for the last 32 runs, smashing six fours and one six in that period to completely dominate the unfinished fifth-wicket stand of 67 off just 31 deliveries. Dhoni’s contribution to the stand was 18 – need one say more?
India came into the last five overs of its innings needing 59, having suffered another top-order disappointment as Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina all fell with just 49 on the board. Kohli had warmed up with a whip through mid-wicket and a drive on the up off successive deliveries, but was forced to rein himself in as the wickets tumbled around him.
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