Pakistan captain Babar Azam doffed his hat to the Indian duo of Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya after the pair helped their team win the high-octane clash at the MCG by four wickets on Sunday. While chasing 160, India found themselves on the ropes at 31-4 when Pandya joined forces with the former Indian captain.
The Men in Blue were 45-4 after the first 10 overs and needed another 115 runs in the second half of the innings against a potent Pakistan bowling line-up.
Pandya and Kohli added 113 runs off 78 balls for the fifth wicket to keep their team alive in the contest. Kohli scored an unbeaten knock of 82 runs to get his team over the line while Pandya contributed 40 runs from 37 balls.
It seemed like Pakistan had one foot in the winning door, but Kohli and Pandya turned the corner with their match-winning alliance. 48 runs were needed off the final three overs and Kohli did the majority of the scoring for the Men in Blue.
Despite a heartbreaking loss, Babar Azam feels there were a lot of positives for the team. Earlier in the match, Pakistan also found themselves under the pump as they were 31-2 after the PowerPlay overs. However, Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood were able to get their team back on track. The duo added 76 runs together as both of them ended up scoring fifties.
On the other hand, Pakistan bowlers were right on the money, especially Haris Rauf as they reduced India to 31-4 to put their noses in front. However, Virat Kohli came up with a piece de resistance knock to achieve what seemed an impossible target at one point.
Babar Azam said in the post-match presentation, “Our bowlers bowled really well. All credit to Kohli and Pandya. It wasn’t easy with the new ball. We had partnerships after 10 overs. We had a chance. We tried to stick to our plans. But credit to Virat Kohli. In the middle we decided we wanted a wicket and held the spinner back. We had a lot of positives. The way Iftikhar played and the way Shan played.”
Pakistan would be disappointed as they had the match in their grasp but Virat Kohli was the difference between the two sides in the end.
Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe on Thursday at the Perth Stadium, Perth.
