Everyone was on the edge of their seats during a heated chase at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The same was true in the Indian dressing room. A anxious Rohit Sharma sat in the corner, while Virat Kohli, who would have wanted to be out in the middle to chisel out the winning runs, stood directly in front of the room with the other players. But as soon as KL Rahul finished it off in style with a six to give India a four-wicket victory over Australia in the semifinal, the players let out a great sigh of relief and started celebrating wildly.
India lost their first two wickets for 43 runs, giving them a shaky start to the 264-run chase. However, Kohli’s 84 off 98 and the efforts of the other middle-order batsmen, Shreyas Iyer (45), Rahul (42*), and Hardik Pandya (28), allowed India to easily surpass the target with 11 balls remaining.
Following the game, the BCCI made available footage of the dressing room taken just before the crucial victory in Dubai. It showed Kohli looking more upbeat than a tense Rohit during the time when Hardik and Rahul were forming a partnership. But when India was only one stroke away from winning, the all-rounder left. “Maarne to chhakka hi ja raha hai woh” (he is going in intending to strike a six) is what Kohli is seen telling Rohit as Ravindra Jadeja descended the steps.
Kohli’s wish is fulfilled by KL Rahul:
Rahul eventually hit the game-winning run. The wicketkeeper-batter took on Glenn Maxwell in the first delivery to send it over long-on for a six after regaining his scoring in the last over.
Indian players erupted in a joyful celebration in the dressing room after the shot, with Hardik, Mohammed Shami, and Kohli embracing one another. Kohli also gave Rohit, who was at last grinning, a hug and went on to win Player of the Match for his knock.
In 53 innings, Kohli achieved his 24th fifty-plus score in ICC ODI events, surpassing the record-holding 23 in 58 innings of the great Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar. The 36-year-old also made history by becoming the first player to reach 1,000 runs in knockout games in the Champions Trophy, World Test Championship, T20 World Cup, and ODI World Cup.
