From tottering at 31/4 to clinching a game that India had no business winning, Virat Kohli played an innings of a lifetime and ensured a miraculous win for the Men in Blue against Pakistan on October 23 (Sunday) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Kohli remained unbeaten on 82 runs of 53 balls, and as he himself admitted, it was the maverick batter's greatest knock in the shortest format of the game.
Kohli was the ultimate hero for India but there were other players who chipped in with crucial contributions, one of them being all-rounder Hardik Pandya. The swashbuckling three-dimensional player first bowled an incredible spell and bagged three wickets and then played an important knock with the bat. He was dismissed in the last over after scoring 40 runs off 37 balls. His partnership of 113 runs with Kohli for the fifth wicket was one of the best alliances you will see under pressure.
The match ebbed and flowed in different directions while there were several twists that added a pinch of unnecessary controversy, including the free-hit drama that transpired in the last over of the match bowled by Mohammad Nawaz. Virat Kohli was bowled on the free-hit ball and the ball ricocheted toward the third-man region. The Indian batters ran three runs while Pakistan players complained asking the ball to be called dead.
The on-filed umpires stuck to their decision and granted three runs to India. Legendary umpire Simon Taufel has now added perspective to the entire incident.
"After the exciting climax to the India v Pakistan match at the MCG last night, I've been asked by many to explain the Byes that India scored after Kohli was bowled off the free hit," Simon Taufel wrote on LinkedIn.
"The ICC Playing condition is below. The umpire made the right decision in signalling Byes after the batters ran three following the ball hitting the stumps and rolling down to 3rd man. For a free hit, the striker cannot be out bowled and therefore the ball is NOT dead on hitting the stumps - the ball is still in play and all conditions under the Laws for Byes are satisfied," he added.
