It’s been a few days since India won a thriller against Pakistan in the Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup. However, people are still talking about the epic match, which was watched by over a billion. Virat Kohli’s heroics in lifting India’s chances from a near defeat with the magical comeback of 82 not out off 53 balls was the highlight of the day.
There was another player, Ravichandran Ashwin, whose contribution was minor yet significant as he hit the winning run. In his YouTube channel, the Indian spinner-all-rounder shed details on the high-voltage match and what was going on in his mind when he came out to bat.
Ashwin revealed that he was padded up from the third over to be ready as a powerplay enforcer in case wickets fell early.
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“I could do my bit with the bat and take the team through. This was my thought in that situation,” he said on his YouTube video.
Ashwin also mentioned that the weather at the MCG was cold and that he and Dinesh Karthik had to keep running to stay warmed up.
Ashwin and Karthik went out to bat in the last over when the partnership between Kohli and Hardik was broken. However, Kohli made sure that India remained in the hunt as he kept scoring even in a pressure situation.
Final moments of the match
Ashwin revealed that he cursed Dinesh Karthik for getting out in that situation, making him walk out to the middle to score the final 2 runs off the last ball.
“As I walked in to bat, I cursed Dinesh Karthik for a second and then later thought, ‘No, no, we still have time, let us do what we were here for. It seemed like I was walking for ages to get to the pitch,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin also talked about the conversation he had with Kohli out in the middle.
"Then I saw Virat Kohli and he told me so many things. But I thought of only one thing after seeing him. God has given you so much today. So how will he ever let me down? So at least for you, won’t let me get these runs?”
Ashwin said he just wanted to place the ball in a vacant area and run. He guessed that Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz would aim for his pads, so he stood still and waited for the ball.
“The moment I saw the ball going down the leg side, I decided not to have any business playing it and decided to leave it alone and got one run for the wide. As soon as I got that run, I was so relaxed,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin then lifted the ball over mid-off on the last ball to take India to victory.
“As soon as I got that run, I was so happy. Now, no one will throw any stones at my home!” Ashwin said while chuckling. “I thought, won’t God allow me to chip over the infield in some vacant area? And thank God, it happened. What a moment," he added.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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