India are facing arch-rivals Pakistan in the Super 4s of the Asia Cup, and leading the batting unit for the Men in Blue was Virat Kohli, who continued from where he left off against minnows Hong Kong. The former India captain scored his second consecutive fifty in the Asia Cup as the side set a target of 182 for their opponents.
After reaching his half-century with a smashing six, Kohli was jubilant and celebrated the momentous occasion by kissing his badge. This happened during the change in the overs when Virat took his helmet off to wipe the sweat off in the hot weather of Dubai.
See the video here:
Virat joined KL Rahul on the crease after the openers gave India a blistering start. India were at 54 runs after 5.1 overs, but Rahul soon departed after a cameo of 28 off 20 balls. They were going strong with a run rate of 10 after the powerplay when Suryakumar Yadav lost his wicket.
India kept losing wickets at regular intervals but Kohli held his own at one end. He did not let the run rate get affected and his innings took India to a fighting total of 181. Kohli also finished his innings with a strike rate of 136.36. This was also Kohli’s fourth fifty against Pakistan in T20Is.
It was indeed a special fifty for the right-hand batter who is returning to competitive cricket after a month’s break.
The 33-year-old's place in the T20I squad was questioned because of his form and strike rate in the shortest format. This fifty was an important stepping stone in his comeback journey. This innings have definitely answered his critics.
This is the second time India is facing Pakistan in this tournament after India won the first encounter on Sunday, August 28. The Men in Blue will now play Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on September 6 and 8 respectively. There are still chances of India facing Pakistan again in the final if both teams manage to make it to the finals.
The final is scheduled to be played on September 11.
