T20 World Cup, India vs Pakistan as it happened: Virat Kohli leads India to victory in an epic match

Kohli: “I got 82 off 52 in Mohali (against Australia) and today I got 82 off 53, they’re both similar innings but I would rate this one higher.”

Player of the match Virat Kohli: “It’s a surreal atmosphere, I really don’t know how that happened. Hardik kept saying we should keep believing. I really have no words.”

IND 160/6 (20 overs): What a finish, what a match, what a sport. Oh, how lucky are we to have witnessed that. Ashwin drives the last ball over mid-off calmly as the Indian players and fans go wild. Kohli is emotional, he has played one of the greatest knocks of his great career. He remains unbeaten on 82 off 53.

INDIA WIN BY 4 WICKETS!

IND 159/6 (19.5 overs): Wide down leg to Ashwin. India need 1 off 1.

IND 158/6 (19.5 overs): OUT! Would you believe it?! DK is out stumped and Pakistan believe again. He tried to sweep it but missed and Rizwan did well behind the stumps. India need 2 off 1.

IND 158/5 (19.4 overs): Kohli is bowled but it was a free hit and India have run three as the ball went past short-third. India need 2 off 2.

IND 155/5 (19.3 overs): Wide outside off. India need 5 off 3. Still a free hit.

IND 154/5 (19.3 overs): SIX! Nawaz bowls a full toss and Kohli pulls it for six. And it’s also a no ball. Pakistan are not happy with that decision but the umpires are firm. It’s all happening! India need 6 off 3. Free hit coming.

IND 147/5 (19.3 overs): DK takes a single before running two as Kohli retains strike. Nawaz is bowling medium pace. India need 13 off 3.

IND 144/5 (19.5 overs): OUT! Hardik is gone! He attempts a wild slog and gets a top edge that is taken by Babar. India need 16 off 5, DK is on strike. He is the senior-most player for India, can he get the job done.

IND 144/4 (19 overs): VIRAT KOHLI! Wow! He hits Haris Rauf for consecutive sixes to bring India back in it. The first one of those hits was simply extraordinary – he essentially drove a bouncer with a straight bat straight over for six. Then the last ball was flicked all the way and a roar followed. India need 16 off 6 and left-arm spinner Nawaz has the ball. What a match this has been. Hardik on strike. Here we go!

IND 129/4 (18 overs): Big over for India as Kohli turns it on! He hits Shaheen for three fours and throws in a couple of fist pumps. India need 31 off 12 now. Pandya needs to go big too, he has slowed down considerably. Perhaps a bit too one-dimensional in his approach.

IND 116/4 (17.1 overs): Fifty for Kohlli! He gets there off 43 balls with a pull for four off Shaheen. Can the superstar pull off a memorable win for his team?

Vinayakk: Imagine chasing 15-20 fewer runs? Death bowling and fielding – two areas of concern that has been there for a while now for this side – coming back to haunt India big time.

IND 112/4 (17 overs): Just six runs from the over, again. This time Naseem delivers under pressure for Pakistan. Kohli and Pandya need to play some innovative strokes perhaps, with the leg side boundary packed. India need 48 off 18.

IND 106/4 (16 overs): Excellent over by Haris for Pakistan. Despite conceding three runs with a wide down leg, he keeps things tight and Pandya quiet. India need 54 off 24, they need to go hard in each over now.

IND 100/4 (15 overs): Naseem returns to the attack and concedes 10 runs in his third over. Kohli shows his class again in finding the gap past short-fine for four. India need 60 off 30.

IND 90/4 (14 overs): Shadab offers width and Kohli cuts it in the gap for four. But the leg-spinner does well to concede just three more runs in the rest of the over. He returns with figures of 0/21 from his four overs.

IND 83/4 (13 overs): Another good over for India, nine runs from it. Shaheen returns to the attack and Kohli clips one behind square in the gap for four. The left-arm pacer with a superb yorker to end the over and Hardik does well to keep it out.

IND 74/4 (12 overs): Huge over for India! Hardik hits two sixes, Kohli hits one, as India take Nawaz to the cleaners. That was brilliant from the right-handers. Pakistan even lost a review, hoping for an inside edge off Kohli’s bat that was caught by Rizwan. India now need 86 off 48.

IND 54/4 (11 overs): Shot! Shadab tosses it right up and Hardik drives it powerfully down the ground for four. Kohli then ends the over with two runs through mid-wicket. Better over for India, nine runs from it.

IND 45/4 (10 overs): Nawaz concedes just four runs in his second over as India head to the halfway stage of their innings in all sorts of trouble. They will need an incredibly special effort to win from here. This partnership needs to get the team close to 100 in quick time, before the final assault can begin.

IND 41/4 (9 overs): Another good over for Pakistan, this time Shadab concedes just three. Kohli and Pandya will need to up the ante soon, India need 119 off 66.

IND 38/4 (8 overs): Nawaz joins the attack and bowls a tight over, India’s batters content in playing the left-arm spinner with a straight bat. The required rate is over 10 now.

IND 31/4 (6.1 overs): OUT! And another one bites the dust. Axar has a mixup with Kohli and can’t scamper back in in time. Rizwan didn’t collect the ball cleanly but the third umpire reckoned it was out. India’s experiment to send the left-hander up the order hasn’t worked. The new batter is Hardik.

IND 26/3 (5.3 overs): OUT! Haris Rauf has his second wicket and it’s the big one of Suryakumar Yadav. The right-hander pulls one over mid-wicket for four before being cramped by pace and edging it to Rizwan. Brilliant bowling by Haris as Surya walks back for 15 off 10. India find themselves in a massive hole as Axar comes to the crease.

IND 22/2 (5 overs): Surya flicks one past square-leg for three as India pick five runs in that Naseem over. This is the big wicket for both teams, no doubt about it.

“...how you come out of tough challenges is very important and I think, in the past we have been put in those situations, where we have been 10/3 or 15/2 or something like that, we (have) failed to recover... Something that we need to keep in mind moving forward”: Rohit Sharma when he took over as captain.
Fair to say they are still at it.

IND 17/2 (4 overs): What. A. Shot! Suryakumar Yadav wastes no time in reminding that he has been in a league of his own of late. Haris bowls it in the slot and the right-hander players a gorgeous, confident on-drive for four. Perhaps the shot of the match so far. He then punches the next ball through cover for three. India need to keep the scoreboard ticking and Surya is just the man they need in order to do that.

IND 10/2 (3.2 overs): OUT! Haris Rauf, Pakistan’s standout bowler for a while now, strikes with his second delivery and Rohit Sharma has to walk back for 4 off 7. The right-hander pokes at it and Iftikhar Ahmed takes a brilliant diving catch in the slips. India are in deep trouble and Suryakumar Yadav is in.

IND 10/1 (3 overs): Kohli with a big stride out and a confident drive through cover for two. That should give him a lot of confidence. Shaheen then comes from around the wicket and strikes the right-hander in front but the umpire says not out.

IND 7/1 (1.5 overs): OUT! KL Rahul has, yet again, played on. He pokes at a delivery that seemed to rise a bit sharply and the ball takes the inside edge. Naseem Shah strikes nice and early for Pakistan. Virat Kohli is the new batter and India need their senior pros to dig deep now.

IND 5/0 (1 over): A cautious start by India’s openers as Shaheen keeps it full in the first over. Rohit opting for an open stance and short back-lift to face the left-arm pacer.

3.34 pm: The players are back on the field and we’re ready for India’s chase. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are at the crease, with the former on strike. Shaheen Shah Afridi has the new ball in hand for Pakistan. A good start will be crucial for India. Here we go!

3.22 pm: Bhuvi bowls a juicy full toss and Haris smacks it for six, before the Pakistan batters run two off the final delivery as both DK and Bhuvi fail to hit the stumps from close range. This has been a fine recovery by Pakistan and India will surely be tested in the chase.

Pakistan finish with 159/8

PAK 151/8 (19.2 overs): OUT! Bhuvi gets a richly-deserved first wicket. Shaheen swings hard but ends up looping the ball back to Bhuvi. The left-hander walks back for 16 off 8 as Haris Rauf comes to the crease.

PAK 149/7 (19 overs): Shaheen goes big and hits Arshdeep for a six and four. Clean striking by the left-hander as the Pakistan fans inside the MSG erupt. Arshdeep returns with figures of 3/32, having taken the key wickets of Babar, Rizwan and Asif.

PAK 137/7 (18.2 overs): Fifty for Shan Masood. The left-hander gets a half-century of 40 balls in what could prove to be a match-winning knock for Pakistan. He has had his fair share of luck (more than that, to be honest) but he’s got the job done for his team.

PAK 135/7 (18 overs): Shan Masood hits two fours as Pakistan get the runs they needed from that over. Shami returns with figures of 1/25. Pakistan will be eyeing 160 from here, and that will be a super total considering the start they got.

PAK 120/7 (16.4 overs): OUT! Arshdeep Singh, you beauty! The left-arm pacer returns to the attack and picks his third wicket with a fiery bouncer. Pakistan’s danger-man Asif Ali is rushed by the bouncer and tries to block it awkwardly but gloves it to DK. Arshdeep has been top class today. The new batter is Shaheen Afridi.

PAK 115/6 (15.5 overs): OUT! Hardik has his third wicket. Nawaz hits one for four before edging one to Karthik. Hardik has been a bit expensive but has gotten big wickets for his team. He has figures of 3/29 from 3.5 overs.

PAK 106/5 (15 overs): Shan Masood is living a charmed life all right. After surviving a run-out and catch earlier, he ends up miscuing one straight into the spider cam. The Indian players are upset as that would have probably gone to a fielder. The left-hander then slams one straight back and Ashwin can’t hold on to the catch.

PAK 98/5 (14 overs): OUT! Hardik has two wickets in the over! And once again it’s Suryakumar who takes the catch in the deep. This time Haider Ali slogs and departs as Pakistan lose their fifth wicket. India are back on top.

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: Of all the teams who have played this tournament so far, India might just be among the worst fielding / catching side. The batting really has to do all the heavylifting for them. Ashwin’s miss was bad, Kohli (perhaps India’s best) missed an easy run out, Rohit should have done better with that half chance Iftikhar gave before unleashing the sixes, Rahul should really have stopped one of those sixes even if he didn’t take the catch (harsh, but teams do that for fun these days at the boundary). It is not new, India have struggled in the field often recently (few years in fact) but just that – as Dhoni says for CSK – it puts more pressure on their strong suit.

PAK 96/4 (13.2 overs): OUT! The experiment to use Shadab as a hitter hasn’t worked for Pakistan. The right-hander slogs one and Suryakumar takes the catch in the deep. Hardik gets his first wicket. The new batter is Haider Ali.

PAK 96/3 (13 overs): Shot! Shami bowls it on a length and Shadab plays a gorgeous straight drive for four. But that was a successful over for India, they’ll be hungry for a couple of more quick wickets here.

PAK 91/3 (12.2 overs): OUT! Shami returns to the attack and gets the key wicket of Iftikhar. He bowls it straight and full and the right-hander is plumb in front. No review taken as Iftikhar walks back for 51 off 34. The new batter is Shadab Khan.

PAK 91/2 (12 overs): FIFTY for Iftikhar Ahmed! What a knock this is turning into. The right-hander hits Axar for three sixes before ending the over with three more runs. Superb hitting, this. Pakistan are well and truly back in this and the pressure is on India now.

PAK 70/2 (11 overs): Another 10-run over for Pakistan as they hit the first six of the match. Iftikhar reads Ashwin’s carrom ball and steps down to thump the ball straight over for a maximum. Quality shot, that. India need to break this partnership soon.

PAK 60/2 (10 overs): Poor bowling again by Hardik, bowls it short and wide and gets cut by Iftikhar for four. Ten runs from that over as Pakistan reach the halfway stage of their innings. It’s been a decent recovery so far and Pakistan would want to finish close to 150.

PAK 50/2 (9 overs): India introduce spin as Ashwin comes on to bowl. The senior off-spinner does well to concede just five runs in his first over. This partnership between Shan Masood and Iftikhar has added 35 runs so far.

PAK 44/2 (8 overs): Shan Masood survives! Shami bangs it in and the left-hander gets a top edge after attempting a pull, Ashwin is a bit late to react at fine leg and puts in a dive forward but the ball falls just short. That should’ve been taken.

PAK 41/2 (7 overs): Two short balls by Hardik in that over and both go for runs – the first one is pulled by Iftikhar for three and the second takes Shan Masood’s top edge and goes for four. Hardik with a good effort in his follow through in that over to try and run-out Shan Masood, but the left-hander was just in.

PAK 32/2 (6 overs): Shami a bit all over the place in his first over. He bowls a nothing ball short and wide which is cut for four by Shan Masood, before the left-hander picks three more on the leg side. That’s the end of the powerplay and India will surely be the happier team at the moment. Pandya is joining the attack now.

PAK 24/2 (5 overs): The first boundary with some authority by Pakistan. Bhuvi bangs it short and doesn’t get the height, Iftikhar gets on top of it and pulls it through mid-wicket for four. Pakistan need more of this. Shami is joining the attack now.

PAK 15/2 (4 overs): OUT! Arshdeep strikes again and Pakistan have lost both their openers now. Rizwan, who just about survived the previous delivery as the ball fell just short of Kohli, attempts a hook shot and gets a top edge to Bhuvi at fine leg. The right-hander walks back for 4 off 12. Brilliant, brilliant bowling by Arshdeep and the Indian fans at the MCG can’t keep calm.

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: Every ball feels like a special event. Absolutely blockbuster start to this occasion, especially from an Indian point of view.

PAK 10/1 (3 overs): Another high class over from Bhuvi. He moves the ball both ways and troubles Rizwan and Shan Masood by mixing up his lengths. The pitch has a generous layer of grass on it and the ball is carrying to the keeper nicely. Will surely be challenging for India’s batters too.

PAK 6/1 (2 overs): Shan Masood survives! Oh dear, that was a huge opportunity for India. The left-hander taps the ball towards mid-off and runs for a single that was never on. Kohli runs in and takes a shot at the stumps but misses. Shan Masood would’ve been out by miles had that hit the stumps. A wry smile by Kohli as Shastri says on commentary that he could’ve literally run to the stumps and taken the bails off. Rizwan then ends the over with a clip to fine-leg for four. What a thrilling start this has been at the MCG.

PAK 1/1 (1.1 overs): OUT! What a start by Arshdeep! Babar is gone for a first-ball duck! The left-arm pacer gets one to shape in and the right-hander is struck in front as he tries to flick it across. The umpire raises his finger and the review taken by Pakistan goes India’s way. Three reds. The MCG erupts!

PAK 1/0 (1 over): A brilliant first over from Bhuvi. He beats Rizwan’s outside edge a couple of times with some immaculate lines and lengths. He strikes the right-hander on the pad with the last ball but the umpire says not out. A super stop down leg by DK too in that over.

PAK 0/0 (0.2 overs): Rizwan takes a painful blow with the second delivery of the match. Bhuvneshwar gets one to shoot and it hits the right-hander on his right thumb. He seems to be in a great deal of pain. The trainer comes out to have a look, and Rizwan seems good to go at last.

1.29 pm: The national anthems are done and we’re ready for play! What a moment that was! Rohit Sharma visibly emotional as the Indian anthem comes to an end, trying his best to hold back tears. This is a massive game, no doubt. The MCG is packed and we’re in for a cracking contest. Here we go!

Ian Smith at the start of the commentary: Sensational here at the MCG. Remember. This is a neutral venue, Australia are not involved. And I have never ever felt anything like this anywhere, around the world.

The players are walking out at MCG for the national anthems. You don’t have to be in Melbourne to feel the atmosphere at the venue. What an occasion.

1.16 pm: Fascinating insights from one of the game’s best analysts. India’s start is going to be so crucial with the ball. Remember what Finn Allen did to Australia last night? India will be desperate to strike early.

Captains at the toss:

Rohit Sharma: Looks like a good pitch, it’s always nice to bowl with overcast conditions. Think the ball will swing around a bit, and we need to take advantage. Preparations have been good. We played a couple of practice games in Brisbane. Time to come out and enjoy ourselves now. We were expecting nothing less than this, hopefully, we’ll entertain the crowd. We have seven batters, three seamers, and two spinners.

Babar Azam: We would have liked to bowl first as well. We’ll try to post around 160-170. We have prepared well, and we are ready for this big game. We had a T20 series back home and we played a tri-series in New Zealand with similar conditions, so we are prepared. We have three fast bowlers and two spinners.

— Quotes from BCCI match centre

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: Mohammed Shami does indeed go from one World Cup to the next. A first T20I since Nov 8, 2021. Big trust placed by the team management, who have repeatedly spoken about his experience. Quite an occasion for him.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (w), Shan Masood, Haider Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (w), Axar Patel, Ashwin Ravichandran, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.

TOSS: Rohit Sharma has won the toss (as a massive roar erupts at the MCG) and India will bowl first.

Rohit Sharma in the pre-match press conference: “I don’t want to use the word “pressure” because pressure is constant. It’s not going to change ever. I would like to take this as a challenge. I want to use that word “challenge” a little more. This Pakistani team is a very challenging team. All the Pakistani teams that I’ve played from 2007 until 2022, they’ve been a good team.”

Ravi Shastri: “I think they will be very happy that the turnaround is just 12 months. Normally you have to wait a couple of years or four years in ODIs to reverse a setback in World Cup cricket. When you have a setback against Pakistan, you’d want to reverse that as quickly as possible. 100,000 people at MCG, you can’t ask for a better setting. Just soak it in.”

Pitch report by former Australia captain Michael Clarke: “It has some nice covering of grass, it is rock hard. Good batting wicket, overall. There will definitely be some pace and bounce. Win the toss and bat first.”

Hello and welcome to live coverage of India’s Group 2 match against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

It’s one of the most highly-anticipated clashes in the sport. India face Pakistan at the MCG in what will be the tournament opener for both teams. Babar Azam and Co had made a statement the last time they faced their arch rivals at the T20 World Cup, with a 10-wicket win in the UAE. Rohit Sharma’s team got one back at the Asia Cup recently, but Pakistan came out on top again later in that tournament – which was the last time these two teams clashed. The weather in Melbourne has been in focus over the past few days, with rain possibly being a factor today. If we do end up getting a game, though, it can surely be expected to be a cracker.

Squads

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (w), Axar Patel, Ashwin Ravichandran, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Rishabh Pant, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Hooda.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (w), Shan Masood, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Fakhar Zaman.

Also read:

SKY rise: For Suryakumar Yadav, India’s elite T20 batter, the signs were there early

India’s wait, Aussie conditions and more: What to watch out for as Super 12 starts at T20 World Cup

T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma embraces the challenge as India restart quest to end a long wait