The Indian cricket team emerged victorious against Australia in their Cricket World Cup 2023 opener on Sunday, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul producing a brilliant partnership in the chase of 201 runs. However, if it wasn’t for the dropped catch of Virat Kohli, things could’ve ended differently for the Indian team. The importance of Kohli’s wicket is well known to not just fans but also his teammates. After India sealed the win, Ravichandran Ashwin admitted that the moment Kohli hit the ball in the air, he rushed out of the dressing room out of fear that the talismanic batter would be dismissed cheaply.
India lost quick wickets at the top, with the likes of Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer all departing on ducks. Kohli could’ve been dismissed early too, if it wasn’t for Mitchell Marsh dropping his catch.
“When I saw Virat Kohli’s ball go up in the air, I ran outside the dressing room.I literally ran all the way outside. I didn’t know what to do. I was like ‘just wake me up when it’s all over’. It was that sort of a feeling,” Ashwin told Star Sports after India’s victory,” Ashwin said after the match.
“Look, I think we have found ourselves in this sort of situation in important big games. When you play Australia, it’s never a small game. You do well, shot them off for 199. You think you are going to coast home and then the last thing you want is Virat Kohli getting out like that. The moment the crowd erupted, I ran back into the dressing room. I stood in the same place for the entire innings. My feet is actually paining,” he added.
The lifeline helped Kohli put a total of 85 runs on the board before he was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. But, both Kohli and Rahul had done enough by then to all but seal the fate of the match.
“Kohli and KL Rahul went on to add a 165-run winning partnership to help India clinch a 6-wicket win. Kohli got out for 85 but when he walked back to the pavilion, the job was done. Rahul went on to remain unbeaten on 97 as India won with 52 balls to spare,” Ashwin further said.
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