Virat Kohli doesn’t want to get a single on 49 asks Dinesh Karthik to go for the big hits
While batting first in the second Twenty20 International match against South Africa, India was able to collect a record 237/3 runs in only 20 overs. The vital toss was lost by Rohit Sharma, but the Indian batters went on to achieve their highest total in a Twenty20 International against the Proteas and dominate the first innings. The opening pair of Rohit and KL Rahul got India off to a strong start with a massive 96-run partnership for the first wicket in only 9.5 overs. This allowed India to get off to a flying start.
Keshav Maharaj, who was in fine form at the time, took out both of the openers in the middle overs, which allowed them to come back into the game. However, after that, Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli proceeded to smash another fast partnership for 102 runs. Before being dismissed in the 19th over, Suryakumar scored 61 runs off of only 22 balls with his powerful hitting. On the other hand, Kohli hammered two consecutive fours, bringing his total to 49 before the conclusion of the 19th over.
In the last over, Kohli needed just one run to seal the game, but he was batting at the end opposite the striker. Dinesh Karthik, who was playing the role of a finisher, missed the first ball of the last over but smacked four runs off of Rabada’s second. Again, he was unable to hit the following ball, but the next ball he hammered a massive six over a deep square-leg fielder. The spectators anxiously awaited Kohli’s return to the strike so he could finish the game and reach fifty runs.
Karthik also approached Kohli to inquire about the possibility of playing the following delivery for a single, but the latter, being the gentleman that he is, urged Karthik to play go for the big hits. Karthik hit another six over deep extra cover.
Although Kohli fell short of the fifty-run mark by a single run, India was still able to score 18 runs in the last over to post a massive 237/3 on the scoreboard. The former skipper became the first Indian player to surpass 11,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket with this knock of 49 runs, making him the country’s first player to do so.
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Totally selfless cricketer #ViratKohli𓃵 😇#INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/LksBHyYaUI
— TV GO (@TV_GO_) October 2, 2022
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