Ashwin Used His Mind To Turn The Ball Into Wide: Virat Kohli

Sydney: Ravichandran Ashwin hit the winning runs for India in their marquee Super 12 clash against Pakistan, helping the Men in Blue win the match by four wickets.

Off the previous delivery, Ashwin had moved away from the line of the ball to ensure that it was wide. Virat Kohli, who scored a match-winning 82* off 53 deliveries lauded Ashwin for his presence of mind.

“I told Ash to play it over covers, but Ash used extra mind and turned the ball into a wide. Which was a very brave thing to do, you know, he remained inside the line and got that wide. So, in the last ball he just had to hit the ball in the gap to ensure victory,” Kohli told Star Sports.

Virat Kohli’s spectacular 53-ball 82* helped India beat Pakistan in a nail-biting classic at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The 33-year-old put on a 113-run partnership with Hardik Pandya (40) to help India cross the line with four wickets in hand.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam also felt that the partnership between Kohli and Pandya was the turning point of the match.

When asked whether Kohli’s knock made the difference, Babar said: “That’s why they won. See, he was struggling. Staged a comeback and during his knock, his confidence got better. Whenever you make your team win such matches, the player obviously grows in confidence.”