The clashes between India and Pakistan are far more than just being ‘games’, and if we are to recall some of the finest matches between the arch-rivals, the game of the T20 World Cup last year cannot be missed. In a game played on October 23, 2022, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, India took down their fiercest rivals by four wickets after successfully chasing the target of 160 runs after they invited their neighbours to bat first.
India star Virat Kohli played a brilliant knock of 82 runs off 53 balls. Ravichandran Ashwin came up in the last over and scored the winning run for India on the last ball of the match. Ashwin recently recalled the match and revealed that he ‘cursed’ Dinesh Karthik.
In a video posted by ICC on their Instagram, the India spinner could be seen saying “I was cursing Dinesh Karthik for asking me to do the tougher job. As I was just cursing him and I walked in, I realised the enormity of what I was getting into - people yelling. I haven't seen such a crowd ever. When I came to bat against Pakistan for the final ball in the World Cup, Virat Kohli gave me around 7 options to play that one ball.”
Watch the video here:
The World Number one Test bowler added, "The moment Nawaz bowled the wide, I knew, I won the contest, cricket in so many ways going to give lots of messages, that is where I bought the positivity back and won the game. I think about this game when I go to sleep or watch the video, what if the ball had gripped & hit my pad, it was pretty close, maybe it was meant to be finished by me (smiles) but a terrific innings by Virat.”
Speaking of the men’s ODI World Cup 2023, the International Cricket Council released the official schedule for the upcoming mega event. The ‘Men in Blue’ will open their campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. Meanwhile, they will square off against Pakistan on October 15 in Ahmedabad.
