New Delhi: Social media was buzzing with frenzied posts as the heartthrob of millions of Indian cricket fans- Virat Kohli finally found his footing in the T20 World Cup. In the game against Afghanistan, Kohli had a brief stint at the crease where he was able to score a few runs and play some promising shots. Although Virat was dismissed for 24 off 24, the innings would have given all the selectors and support staff a lot of hope.
Amongst all the shots he played, one shot caught the eyes of the netizens. It was a short and wide delivery outside the off-stump from Naveen-ul-Haq. Kohli capitalised on the loose delivery and hit the ball straight down the ground for a six.
What a six Virat Kohli. pic.twitter.com/7yBG4wGLav
— The sports (@the_sports_x) June 20, 2024
As the video of the shot went viral, fans jogged down their memory lanes to chuck out a similar shot that Kohli played against Pakistan. On that occasion, it was Haris Rauf who was at the receiving. It was the T20 World Cup 2022 and Kohli had slammed Rauf for a similar six. Eventually, Kohli was unbeaten on 82 off 53 deliveries.
Virat Kohli's Down the ground shot for six has a different Fanbase.#INDvsAFG pic.twitter.com/oycXnYw2sK
— KohliPremi🇮🇳 (@cricketfied007) June 20, 2024
What a shot for SIX by Virat Kohli. And Harsha Bhogle just reminded us that he played the same shot against Haris Rauf in Melbourne 🇮🇳🇵🇰💔💔💔#tapmad #HojaoADFree #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/lZrij3lOVU
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) June 20, 2024
How has India lined up against the relentless Afghanistan?
Everyone was guessing what was the ‘big change‘ that was on the card ahead of the Super 8 clash. It turns out that Kuldeep Yadav was slotted in for Siraj as an extra spin option. Interestingly, India has never lost against Afghanistan in the previous 8 occasions that both sides have met.
India won the toss and decided to bat first. Skipper Rohit Sharma said “Looks alright at this moment, looks like a good track. No grass on the pitch, I guess it will get slower…” On the other hand, when Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan was asked about the toss, he also said “We would have liked to bat first…“