Internet Desk: The crowds at Mohali witnessed one of the best T20 innings while chasing. Virat Kohli has now scored 281 runs at a strike rate of 160.6 in the year 2016. He has an amazing consistency this year scoring 4 fifty plus score. This was also his 10th fifty in a run chase.
Speaking on his innings after the match, a visibly exhausted Kohli said “I think this innings will definitely rank one of my top. I would probably keep it on top as it was played against Australia and that too in a pressure situation as it was a virtual quarter final. It’s always a special feeling to be scoring runs against Australia.”
As a true team man he defended Yuvraj playing with his injury. The left hander twisted his ankle while going for a quick run. “Both me and Yuvraj shared a good partnership. It was a wonderful team batting effort. Yuvraj decided to go after the bowlers as he was finding it difficult to run. His boundaries helped the team’s cause. He perished trying to go after the bowling.”
Kohli also complimented Dhoni for the support in the middle, “He helped me to remain calm in the middle towards the end. Both I and Dhoni have a great understanding and we always look for quick runs. It was due to him I did not try anything extraordinary.”
He looked supremely fit at the crease. Talking about his fitness Kohli attributed his success to his work ethics in the gym and the training sessions.”
Lastly he thanked the crowd for their constant support, “I would like to thank the crowd for coming out and supporting us, as their constant support and good wishes help us overcome our tough times.”
Indian captain Dhoni feels “I think it was a tough score. We bowled well outside the Powerplay. I thought it was difficult to bat against the spinners. We felt that if we ran well during the middle overs. It’s not the first time I’ve enjoyed watching Virat bat. He’s evolving as a cricketer. He has kept improving and is hungry to score runs for the team. The rest of the batsmen need to step up. I think Yuvraj and Hardik bowled very well. We did very well throughout. Running between the wickets is a key aspect in T20 cricket.”
Australian captain Steve Smith lauded Kohli for guiding his team to the semis, “That was a pretty serious innings. He’s done it for a long time. Credit goes to him. I thought the quick’s were going to be the hardest to hit. I think 160 were around par. It just took an unbelievable innings to get over the line. We weren’t able to make it through and credit to India for making it through.”