India skipper Virat Kohli played the finisher’s role to great effect to help resurrect his team’s batting performance after a wobbly start in the third T20 International in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Kohli’s magnificence overshadowed an otherwise ordinary batting performance as India recovered from a difficult situation to manage a decent 156/6 against England.
India vs England third T20I blog
Skipper Kohli (77 not out, 46 balls) picked opposition’s hostile fast bowler Mark Wood (3/31 in 4 overs) for some special treatment in the 18th over with some believe-it-or-not batting that changed the course of the innings after England put India under the pump at 86/5.
Wood’s thunderbolts at 90 plus miles per hour found the other Indian batsmen in considerable discomfort. He bowled fast and straight, mixing the well disguised short pitched stuff to get them into a tangle.
But against Kohli, he found little joy. The Indian captain hit back-to-back sixes during a phase of glorious batting that saw him score 49 off 17 balls. The shot of the night was a straight six off Wood, which made the bowler take his time to finish the over.
After back-to-back ducks in international cricket (in the last Test and the first T20I), he has now scored back-to-back fifties.
You can watch highlights of Kohli’s innings here.
Here are some reactions to Kohli’s innings:
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