Irfan Pathan was greatly impressed by Virat Kohli‘s skill in preventing a seemingly certain six during a crucial moment in the third T20I between India and Afghanistan in Bengaluru on January 17. With the visitors requiring 48 runs from 20 deliveries, Washington Sundar bowled a half-tracker to Karim Janat.
The batsman, positioned deep in his crease, struck the ball over long-on, appearing to have substantial power behind it. However, Kohli’s remarkable agility intervened, preventing what seemed like an imminent six.
Kohli executed a perfectly timed jump, using his outstretched right hand to prevent the ball from reaching the boundary for a six. After making the save, he threw the ball back into play before falling onto the boundary cushion.
On Instagram, Irfan Pathan shared a snapshot of Virat Kohli extending his right hand to keep the ball in play. Noting the resemblance to Jasprit Bumrah’s stance before bowling from the popping crease, he captioned the post:
“Jasprit Bumrah with higher jump;). #viratkohli”
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Virat Kohli made up for not doing well in batting by doing exceptionally well on the field
The Bengaluru audience, accustomed to Virat Kohli’s stellar performances at the Chinnaswamy stadium during the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, felt let down when he got out without scoring. However, Kohli influenced the match significantly through his fielding. Besides the outstanding save to prevent a six, he also made a remarkable running catch to dismiss Najibullah Zadran, again at a crucial moment in the game.
He swiftly picked up the ball and threw it to run out Gulbadin Naib during the Super Over, catching the batter short at the striker’s end while attempting a second run. Regarding the match, India, led by an outstanding unbeaten 121 from captain Rohit Sharma and an unbeaten 69 from Rinku Singh, rebounded from a precarious 22-4 to reach a total of 212-4.
However, Afghanistan challenged the formidable hosts, pushing the game to a super over by scoring two off the last ball. In the initial super over, both teams ended with 16 runs, but India secured victory by 10 runs in the subsequent super over, completing a clean sweep of the three-match series.
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