“Virat and his eyes seemed like he was possessed,” Ravichandran Ashwin relives drama-filled T20 WC last over against Pakistan

The 36-year-old admitted that he was cursing Dinesh Karthik for putting him in the pressurized situation after his dismissal.

“Virat and his eyes seemed like he was possessed,” Ravichandran Ashwin relives drama-filled T20 WC last over against Pakistan

Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin (Images via Twitter)

The Men in Blue are eyeing their first ICC trophy since lifting the Champions Trophy in 2013. They got at least two chances in recent times to add another title, at the 2022 T20 World Cup and the recently-concluded World Test Championships (WTC) Final. But unfortunately, Rohit Sharma and Co. did not fare well in these two events.

Last year, India reached the semifinals of the T20 World Cup only to get thrashed by 10 wickets by eventual champions England. But the first match of India’s campaign, against Pakistan, will be remembered in the years to come. Virat Kohli’s sensational knock and Ravichandran Ashwin’s game awareness in the last over will always be lauded.

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Recently, Ashwin spoke about what was going on in his mind when he joined Kohli in the last over. The 36-year-old admitted that he was cursing Dinesh Karthik for putting him in the pressurized situation after his dismissal. Kohli, on the other hand, gave several options to Ashwin to play the last ball.

“Virat just gave me like seven options to play off that one ball. If only I was that capable of playing all those shots I wouldn’t be batting at No.8. I just talked to myself, I couldn’t say that to him. I looked at Virat and his eyes seemed like he was possessed. I said, okay he’s on another planet and let me come back to earth. The moment he bowled a wide I knew I won the contest,” he told ICC.

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India vs Pakistan 2022 T20 World Cup match recap

India vs Pakistan 2022 T20 World Cup match recap
Virat Kohli (Image via Twitter)

After being asked to bat first, Pakistan posted 159/8 in 20 overs on the back of Shan Masood‘s 52* off 42 and Iftikhar Ahmed’s 51 off 34. India in response lost their openers, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.

But ‘Chase Master’ Virat Kohli played an innings of a lifetime with his unbeaten 82 off 53 to take India to a decent position but the match looked as if it was going out of their hand, for India needed 16 off the last over.

Pandya (40 off 37) fell to Mohammad Nawaz on the first ball of the last over. Dinesh Karthik too was dismissed off the penultimate delivery, but suddenly India needed just two runs off the last ball. Ashwin entered and he ignored the wide ball from Nawaz to draw the match to the relief of the Indians and a run off the last ball ensured India the victory by four wickets.

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