That was very brave: Virat Kohli reveals conversation with Ashwin in last over vs Pakistan

Virat Kohli has revealed his conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin during the final over of the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022 match. Ashwin hit the winning runs for India in their Group 1 campaign opener against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. The Men in Blue required 16 runs to win off six balls on Sunday with Hardik Pandya on strike and Virat Kohli at the non-striker’s end. 

After losing Hardik in the first ball, India added 14 runs and lost two wickets in the space of four legal deliveries which brought veteran allrounder R Ashwin out to the middle. In a post-match interview with Irfan Pathan and Jatin Sapru after India’s win, Kohli reveals his advice for Ashwin before he faced the final two balls. Kohli revealed he asked Ashwin to play the ball over the covers but he ended up using his mind.

Watch: Virat Kohli in awe of R Ashwin’s smartness

“Ash ko maine bola ki, you know, covers k upar maar k dekhna. Lekin, Ash ne apna dimag ke upar dimag lagaya. Aur that was very brave thing to do, you know, remained inside the line, wide karwa di. Uske bad toh situation ye rahi ki gap me gayi toh jeet jaege,” Kohli explained. (“I told Ash to play it over the covers, but Ash used extra mind and turned the ball into a wide. So, in the last ball he just had to hit the ball in a gap to ensure victory”.)

T20 World Cup 2022: Team India’s thrilling final-over win in T20 World Cup 2022

Facing spinner Mohammad Nawaz in the final over, India lost their fifth wicket after Pandya’s knock of 40 runs ended in the first ball of the final over. Dinesh Karthik took a single in his first ball before Kohli took a double in the next ball. The 33-year-old hit a six in the next delivery bowled at a waist-high length, which ended up being declared no-ball.

After a wide on the free-hit delivery, Nawaz ended up striking the stumps, but the ball raced toward the third man boundary. India were awarded three byes in the fourth delivery before Karthik got dismissed in the fifth ball. Coming in at no. 6, Ashwin had to score two runs in one ball to secure the win. However, Ashwin displayed his smartness by leaving the ball down the leg side in his first ball. 

This reduced the equation for India to one run to win the match in a ball. Ashwin played the final ball over the covers to help the Men in Blue to win their first match at the coveted tournament.