Virat Kohli’s 82-run knock against Pakistan better than Mohali innings vs Australia: Gautam Gambhir

Virat Kohli’s six down the ground off Haris Rauf is the best shot of T20 World Cup: Gambhir,Kohli redeemed himself with a magical 82 not out of 53 balls against Pakistan at MCG.India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022.Virat Kohli’s 82-run knock against Pakistan better than Mohali innings vs Australia: Gautam Gambhir.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has rated Virat Kohli’s sensational unbeaten 82-run knock against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2022 better than his Mohali masterclass against Australia in 2016.

Kohli hit six fours and four sixes, including one in the final over off a no-ball from Mohammad Nawaz, to end up with an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls. It drew parallels with another famous knock of his, an unbeaten 82 against Australia in Mohali during the 2016 T20 World Cup, which Virat Kohli had ranked as the best of his T20I career.

“Finishing it off, probably literally getting more than 50% of the run. So it has to be up there probably better than the Mohali innings because if you see the magnitude, the conditions, the pressure, this was much more,” Gautam Gambhir told broadcasters.

In front of a packed 90,000-plus crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Kohli redeemed himself as India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in one of their most memorable wins against Pakistan.

Chasing 160, India were reeling at 45 for 4 at the halfway mark but Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40) stitched 113 runs for the fifth wicket to keep India in the hunt. Kohli stepped it up brilliantly and smashed some breathtaking shots, especially a lofted backfoot straight drive over the long-on boundary against their most effective bowler, Haris Rauf, which set the tone.

Gambhir was in awe of Virat Kohli’s lofted backfoot straight drive and said this was probably the shot of the tournament as it was played under immense pressure against a quality pace bowler.

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“It was probably the shot of the tournament. That shot under pressure. It was not that he just played the shot. You knew that if he had not hit that ball out of the ground, India would have been under serious pressure because 28 off 8, you are looking at a defeat. Playing that shot under pressure against Haris Rauf. It’s just the quality of that shot. You can’t explain that shot,” Gambhir added.