Virat Kohli has played important role in India's big run chases. (Photo Credits: BCCI/X)
Despite a slow start to the proceedings, West Indies smashed 195/4 against India in the virtual quarter-final in Kolkata on Sunday. West Indies were off to a cautious start as the openers Roston Chase and captain Shai Hope put up 45 in the first 6 overs.
Varun Chakravarthy got rid off Hope for 32 off 33 but Chase continued his brisk batting to chip in with 40 off 25. He along with Shimron Hetmyer (27 off 12) took on the bowlers and hammered them all around the park. India were then able to pick three wickets in quick succession but Rovman Powell and Jason Holder brought the Caribbean side back in the game. The two stitched an unbeaten partnership of 76.
While Powell hit 34* off 19, Holder notched up 37* off 22.
But the big question is, can India chase this down?
The stats suggest that whenever India had chased down a target of 160+, Virat Kohli had played a massive role in it. The Super 8 match against South Africa was the first instance after Kohli’s retirement when India were chasing 180+ in a T20 World Cup fixture. The Men in Blue were bowled out for 111 to lose the match by 76 runs.
In T20 World Cup 2014, India were handed a target of 173 in 20 overs in Mirpur in an all-important semi-final. Kohli stepped up and played a stunning knock of an unbeaten 72 off 44. Apart from him, Rohit Sharma (24 off 13), Ajinkya Rahane (32 off 30) and Suresh Raina (21 off 10) also played important knocks that helped India go over the line. India won the match by 6 wickets with five balls to spare to march ahead.
Another instance came in 2016 edition. Australia put up 160/6 in 20 overs and then the bowlers rattled India’s top-order to reduce them to 49/3. Kohli once again took the onus on himself. He scored an unbeaten 82 off 51 to help India win by 6 wickets.
One of the finest knocks came in 2022 in Melbourne when Kohli along with Hardik Pandya bailed out India from a tricky situation. India were left tottering at 31/4 against Pakistan while chasing 160. They stitched a stand of 113 runs for the fifth wicket. India later needed 28 off 8 when Kohli hit two maximums on the trot against Haris Rauf to bring it down to 16 needed off 6. India eventually won by 4 wickets.
India need one batter who can take up the responsibility to play right till the end. A defeat in this match will bring down the curtains for India in this tournament.
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