Lucky break? Could Virat Kohli's slowest T20I fifty have cost India the final of ICC T20 World Cup 2024?

[Pakhs]

Everyone knows that. Think of it as winning an Oscar for this year for your performance few years back. Purely in terms of impact atleast 2 or 3 guys ahead of him. Bumrah, Pandya, Arshdeep.

I am a big Virat fan for his 50 over exploits and to some extent test cricket but this MOM doesnt make sense to me, The tournament has been won by Bumrah alone. He was the difference maker in almost every game India played, he made every one look better in the team. There are not many bowlers who have had this kind of impact in a whole tournament in the past, maybe Mcragth, Wasim and few other.. If this was a 50 over WC he could have been classed at their level with what he did in this tournament.

 

[jnaveen1980]

I am a big Virat fan for his 50 over exploits and to some extent test cricket but this MOM doesnt make sense to me, The tournament has been won by Bumrah alone. He was the difference maker in almost every game India played, he made every one look better in the team. There are not many bowlers who have had this kind of impact in a whole tournament in the past, maybe Mcragth, Wasim and few other.. If this was a 50 over WC he could have been classed at their level with what he did in this tournament.

Actually Bumrah missed another MOM as well in this world cup. Against Afghanistan 3 for 7 in 4 overs. But SKY got for his 53. He played a big role in every match. So they combined all and gave him MOS.

 

[Pakhs]

Actually Bumrah missed another MOM as well in this world cup. Against Afghanistan 3 for 7 in 4 overs. But SKY got for his 53. He played a big role in every match. So they combined all and gave him MOS.

Yes, but years down the line he wont be remembered as MOM for the final which is wrong after what he did.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Yes, but years down the line he wont be remembered as MOM for the final which is wrong after what he did.

Don't disagree. But given what Kohli has given to India as a player over the yeras in WT20 appearances Bumrah wouldn't mind losing this one to him. Besides this was a total team effort including cameo from Dube, absolute gem of a knock from Axar and then that screamer from SKY on the field. Too many contenders. Instead they just went with Kohli as a safe pick.

 

[Pakhs]

Don't disagree. But given what Kohli has given to India as a player over the yeras in WT20 appearances Bumrah wouldn't mind losing this one to him. Besides this was a total team effort including cameo from Dube, absolute gem of a knock from Axar and then that screamer from SKY on the field. Too many contenders. Instead they just went with Kohli as a safe pick.

You seem to not mind Bumrah not getting his due maybe because your team has won and that all you care about. But from a neutral perspective would have liked to have seen the correct person given the MOM. All other contribution you mentioned were undone by SA but nobody had the answer to Bumrah all tournament including the final where his contribution was even bigger.

He was brought on to save the day for India and he did. simple as that.

 

[jnaveen1980]

You seem to not mind Bumrah not getting his due maybe because your team has won and that all you care about. But from a neutral perspective would have liked to have seen the correct person given the MOM. All other contribution you mentioned were undone by SA but nobody had the answer to Bumrah all tournament including the final where his contribution was even bigger.

He was brought on to save the day for India and he did. simple as that.

Hey i called it out immediately Bumrah should have got it. But i also understand why they picked him. Even kholi knows it.

 

[oatmeal]

Everyone knows that. Think of it as winning an Oscar for this year for your performance few years back. Purely in terms of impact atleast 2 or 3 guys ahead of him. Bumrah, Pandya, Arshdeep.

Arshdeep and Pandya arent a MOTM candiate ahead of Kohli . Only Bumrah was ahead of him. He anchored the innings and then accelerated at the end to get India to a respectable total.

The only negative point in Kohli's innings was that he should have started to hit an over earlier. But this wasnt an easy pitch for a batsman to come in and start hitting from first ball. No guarantee Pandya would have played a blinder

 

[jnaveen1980]

Arshdeep and Pandya arent a MOTM candiate ahead of Kohli . Only Bumrah was ahead of him. He anchored the innings and then accelerated at the end to get India to a respectable total.

The only negative point in Kohli's innings was that he should have started to hit an over earlier. But this wasnt an easy pitch for a batsman to come in and start hitting from first ball. No guarantee Pandya would have played a blinder

Trust me . If India had failed to get over fans would have unloaded their anger against him. Hardik's wicket of Klassen is the real turning point of the match. With Klassen game would have bene over 1 over before even with a maiden Bumrah over. SO Pandya did play a good role. Also bowling to a left hander Arshdeep bowled the most important over in a T20. 19th over.

 

[oatmeal]

Trust me . If India had failed to get over fans would have unloaded their anger against him. Hardik's wicket of Klassen is the real turning point of the match. With Klassen game would have bene over 1 over before even with a maiden Bumrah over. SO Pandya did play a good role. Also bowling to a left hander Arshdeep bowled the most important over in a T20. 19th over.

No one is saying he didnt play an important role. Sky had a massive impact too. But those arent MOTM worthy performances. Its someone who shapes the entire match.

Kohli's inning was the cornerstone of the batting . He held anchor while Axar and Dube went for high risk shots. Bumrah held the entire bowling together and totally changed the match. Pandya bowled well but his wickets were partly because of pressure built by Bumrah and Arshdeep.

If India had failed, of course Kohli , Axar and Rohit would have got the flak. But that's how sports goes. Klassen would have been MoTM then

 

[jnaveen1980]

No one is saying he didnt play an important role. Sky had a massive impact too. But those arent MOTM worthy performances. Its someone who shapes the entire match.

Kohli's inning was the cornerstone of the batting . He held anchor while Axar and Dube went for high risk shots. Bumrah held the entire bowling together and totally changed the match. Pandya bowled well but his wickets were partly because of pressure built by Bumrah and Arshdeep.

If India had failed, of course Kohli , Axar and Rohit would have got the flak. But that's how sports goes. Klassen would have been MoTM then

If Axar and Dube had struggled like Kohli we would be talking differently about that innings. He owes it to those two guys. Given the form and skill of Dube, he outperformed Kohli.

 

[JaDed]

The fact that Sky grabbed that lucky catch and SA choked just saved Kohli otherwise no one would have praised him here.

Lucky catch is stretching a bit, he is a top fielder.
There is a similar catch even by Indian woman player, it’s there in the women’s cricket thread.

These catches have almost become common in IPL, the only thing was it came in a pressure situation.

I have never supported his batting but catching and fielding he has been top notch with very few misses.

 

[oatmeal]

If Axar and Dube had struggled like Kohli we would be talking differently about that innings. He owes it to those two guys. Given the form and skill of Dube, he outperformed Kohli.

This is a basic misunderstanding of the team strategy after 34/3. its clear that one end was licensed to go for it and the other was holding fort

 

[JaDed]

I have made peace with that inning, it was a similar inning in 2016 as well and seeing how Saffers folded after Klassen , this might have been the difference.

 

[jnaveen1980]

This is a basic misunderstanding of the team strategy after 34/3. its clear that one end was licensed to go for it and the other was holding fort

It is not a strategy. It is a limitation. Proof is anytime he went on the offensive he got out. He cannot go nuclear like Rohit sharma. He deifnitely has top gear. But not the level of Rohit. Even in world cup semi final SHreyas Iyer is the one who went ballistic. From the first ball he was offensive.

 

[oatmeal]

It is not a strategy. It is a limitation. Proof is anytime he went on the offensive he got out. He cannot go nuclear like Rohit sharma. He deifnitely has top gear. But not the level of Rohit. Even in world cup semi final SHreyas Iyer is the one who went ballistic. From the first ball he was offensive.

He's not the kind of player who can hammer and tongs from ball 1. But he still tried because that was the team strategy. Kohli is comfortable with getting set and then going ballistic at the end. When you try that there is always a risk that you get out just before the acceleration part so the overall innings looks poor

 

[jnaveen1980]

He's not the kind of player who can hammer and tongs from ball 1. But he still tried because that was the team strategy. Kohli is comfortable with getting set and then going ballistic at the end. When you try that there is always a risk that you get out just before the acceleration part so the overall innings looks poor

Ya.. i do not want to criticize one bit about Kohli. But just for argument sake i am saying 8 overs without boundary was really odd.

 

[mikeypbadana86]

Check crciinfo/cricibuzz post match interview after Indias innings. The pitch had moisture and the ball was gripping for spinners which is why rohit/pant perished. It was difficult to score in the first innings. Pitch got slightly better in second innings with hint of no turn/grip and no assistance for spinners.

Keshav Maharaj: I was just trying to use the surface, use the breeze and luckily it paid off. The pitch started off slow, it has got better now and hopefully it will be good to chase. The catching and outfielding was good, it's something we pride ourselves on. We can do it, opportunities like this don't come often and the boys are ready to go. Hope we can grab it with both hands.

 

[mikeypbadana86]

Check crciinfo/cricibuzz post match interview after Indias innings. The pitch had moisture and the ball was gripping for spinners which is why rohit/pant perished. It was difficult to score in the first innings. Pitch got slightly better in second innings with hint of no turn/grip and no assistance for spinners.

Keshav Maharaj: I was just trying to use the surface, use the breeze and luckily it paid off. The pitch started off slow, it has got better now and hopefully it will be good to chase. The catching and outfielding was good, it's something we pride ourselves on. We can do it, opportunities like this don't come often and the boys are ready to go. Hope we can grab it with both hands.

Keeping the conditions of the pitch and the match context, kohlis innings was great. Last over the expected norm is atleast to score 15. India scored 9 runs, they were one boundary/six short. India would have scored 181/183 which is par

 

[RahulBose]

Rohit was in same situation against Australia. He blitzed them apart. I don't think he has that kind of 5th gear game especially on these pitches which held a touch.

Ofcourse Rohit and Kohli have different styles, but in the context of the game, he played a crucial innings.
I shudder to think, what would have happened , if we were 70 for 5 because Kohli continued to attack.

There is no coming back after that.
And what people don't understand is the need for someone to hold one end so that others can hit out.

Do you think Axar would have played in the same speed if he Kholi departed after making 20 balls 40.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Ofcourse Rohit and Kohli have different styles, but in the context of the game, he played a crucial innings.
I shudder to think, what would have happened , if we were 70 for 5 because Kohli continued to attack.

There is no coming back after that.
And what people don't understand is the need for someone to hold one end so that others can hit out.

Do you think Axar would have played in the same speed if he Kholi departed after making 20 balls 40.

If they had reached 30 in 30 you would be talking differently. 8 overs without a four has no real excuse. This is T20 for christsake. You ahve to keep taking chance. There is no "anchor" role. India has 8 bastmen.

 

[kach]

Kohli's knock wasn't a great t20 knock by any yard stick. One can say that he steadied the ship but so did Klassen in his first 20 balls after which he just abused our spinners. We had enough batting power to come and he should have accelerated earlier. The quality pace bowling and fielding at the death ensured that he bowed out on a high.

Holding one end is a term Indians have gotten used to and is commonly thrown around because we have always played our cricket conservatively.

All being said, it is the right time for him to retire because he is no longer a fit for this format.
T20 is a completely different game altogether and its time that we have different teams for each format.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Kohli's knock wasn't a great t20 knock by any yard stick. One can say that he steadied the ship but so did Klassen in his first 20 balls after which he just abused our spinners. We had enough batting power to come and he should have accelerated earlier. The quality pace bowling and fielding at the death ensured that he bowed out on a high.

Holding one end is a term Indians have gotten used to and is commonly thrown around because we have always played our cricket conservatively.

All being said, it is the right time for him to retire because he is no longer a fit for this format.
T20 is a completely different game altogether and its time that we have different teams for each format.

They act as if but for kohli we would have collapsed. Whole tournmanet KOhli failed. We didn't have nay issues.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

It is not a strategy. It is a limitation. Proof is anytime he went on the offensive he got out. He cannot go nuclear like Rohit sharma. He deifnitely has top gear. But not the level of Rohit. Even in world cup semi final SHreyas Iyer is the one who went ballistic. From the first ball he was offensive.

Nuclear like Rohit Sharma? Lol. Rohit was never an aggressive player in T20Is. Even at his peak, his strike rate was in the 120s (in tournaments). If you look at the stats from the last 5 World Cups, his numbers are just average and mostly high against smaller teams. Rohit's overall strike rate in World Cups is 132, and his career average strike rate in T20Is is 140. Both Kohli and Rohit have similar strike rates in tournaments as well as in their overall careers.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Nuclear like Rohit Sharma? Lol. Rohit was never an aggressive player in T20Is. Even at his peak, his strike rate was in the 120s (in tournaments). If you look at the stats from the last 5 World Cups, his numbers are just average and mostly high against smaller teams. Rohit's overall strike rate in World Cups is 132, and his career average strike rate in T20Is is 140. Both Kohli and Rohit have similar strike rates in tournaments as well as in their overall careers.

I am talking about one off scneario. You are talking about consistency. I am talking about absolute peak. In T20 consistency is way too over-rated as we saw.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

Kohli's knock wasn't a great t20 knock by any yard stick.

Who said it's the greatest? It's just a match-winning knock considering the power play collapse at 34/3.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

I am talking about one off scneario. You are talking about consistency. I am talking about absolute peak. In T20 consistency is way too over-rated as we saw.

I'm not talking about consistency. Since you're comparing Rohit with Kohli, look at all the matches they've played against top sides in all the World Cups. Check the ballistic top gears that you are talking and see who actually performed in terms of strike rate and average. Rohit can hit sixes for fun and has the ability to hit big shots better than Kohli, but he is not as ballistic as you are saying. Both have similar stats.

 

[Statpadder Inc]

On a side note, Samuels 2016 was extremely overrated, he almost lost the match for wi.

A lallu player like Braithwaite smashing 4 sixes in the final over to win a wc is a once in a century event.

His 2012 knock was goated though

 

[jnaveen1980]

I'm not talking about consistency. Since you're comparing Rohit with Kohli, look at all the matches they've played against top sides in all the World Cups. Check the ballistic top gears that you are talking and see who actually performed in terms of strike rate and average. Rohit can hit sixes for fun and has the ability to hit big shots better than Kohli, but he is not as ballistic as you are saying. Both have similar stats.

Show me the innings where Kohli played a 41 ball 92. He scored a 100 after so many years.

 

[mikeypbadana86]

If they had reached 30 in 30 you would be talking differently. 8 overs without a four has no real excuse. This is T20 for christsake. You ahve to keep taking chance. There is no "anchor" role. India has 8 bastmen.

Look at the history of IPL or other international t20's where teams lost the way in trying to maximize the target. India got just 9 runs off the last over where as it could have been 20 run over with the likes of dube, hardik and jadeja batting the last over.

The par score when batting first, specilaly when the pitch was damp with india 35/3 , 180 is very good score which proved just enough

 

[Cover Drive Six]

Show me the innings where Kohli played a 41 ball 92. He scored a 100 after so many years.

Even the other day, you were comparing a dead rubber league match performance against a high-pressure World Cup final match Kohli's performance. . Rohit played well against Aus, no doubt but can't compare a league match with final match.

We had no pressure in the Australia match as we were already qualified with a superior NRR, even if we had lost that match. Show me how many times he has played similar kind of knocks in knockouts against top teams—you can't.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Even the other day, you were comparing a dead rubber league match performance against a World Cup final match Kohli's performance.
We had no pressure in the Australia match as we were already qualified with a superior NRR, even if we had lost that match. Show me how many times he has played similar kind of knocks in knockouts against top teams—you can't.

What about semi final knock on a tricky pitch. Come on dude. In the world cup semi final. 2nd bal or third ball Iyer hit a six. Kohli maintained the same tempo without many fours. Did the same in the final. He even slowed down for 100 a couple of times. In this final. When he was on 49 he was trying to tap the ball for single with low backlift. As i said he played exceptionally well in 2014/2016. The reward he got was for that. Not for this.

 

[Statpadder Inc]

What about semi final knock on a tricky pitch. Come on dude. In the world cup semi final. 2nd bal or third ball Iyer hit a six. Kohli maintained the same tempo without many fours. Did the same in the final. He even slowed down for 100 a couple of times. In this final. When he was on 49 he was trying to tap the ball for single with low backlift. As i said he played exceptionally well in 2014/2016. The reward he got was for that. Not for this.

What about Ro choking in the final. Love him but we can do this all day.

In any other situation, it would have been a poor knock and I felt the same till the 1st innings.

But looking back, 34-3 in a wc final, he played a good knock. If he got out early, we would have folded for 120. I have seen that script play out for the last decade

 

[kach]

Who said it's the greatest? It's just a match-winning knock considering the power play collapse at 34/3.

And if it wasn't for our bowlers and a shut down from South Africa it would have not been one.
It wasn't a match winning knock. He just had support from Axar and Dube.
IMO Klassen's knock was great despite the loss. Kohli's not so.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

What about semi final knock on a tricky pitch. Come on dude. In the world cup semi final. 2nd bal or third ball Iyer hit a six. Kohli maintained the same tempo without many fours. Did the same in the final. He even slowed down for 100 a couple of times. In this final. When he was on 49 he was trying to tap the ball for single with low backlift. As i said he played exceptionally well in 2014/2016. The reward he got was for that. Not for this.

Oh, now you brought the semi-final match into the discussion. That was a pretty good innings; did I say anything? Rohit played fantastic cricket in this tournament, who didn't accept that here? I acknowledged it on match day itself. I don't have any personal bias against any cricketer to not give credit where it's due.

 

[jnaveen1980]

What about Ro choking in the final. Love him but we can do this all day.

In any other situation, it would have been a poor knock and I felt the same till the 1st innings.

But looking back, 34-3 in a wc final, he played a good knock. If he got out early, we would have folded for 120. I have seen that script play out for the last decade

He got out early througout the world cup. We didn't fold for 120 except at new york where we were 80/2 in 10 overs even after he left. This narrative doesn't fly anymore. A reason wh India went with 8 batsmen is to handle these scenarios. They did handle well. Pandya made 50 against BD. Fact that Dube and Axar outplayed Kohli in that partnership explains everything. Neither of them are pedigree batsmen like Kohli.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

And if it wasn't for our bowlers and a shut down from South Africa it would have not been one.
It wasn't a match winning knock. He just had support from Axar and Dube.
IMO Klassen's knock was great despite the loss. Kohli's not so.

Klassen's knock was obviously better than all others', but over the years, only the winners will be remembered. There are many players who have played like Klassen and lost in finals; it's unfortunate for them.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Oh, now you brought the semi-final match into the discussion. That was a pretty good innings; did I say anything? Rohit played fantastic cricket in this tournament, who didn't accept that here? I acknowledged it on match day itself. I don't have any personal bias against any cricketer to not give credit where it's due.

I don't have anythiing with Kohli either. He did what he "could" do not what he "had to" do. That is where i differ. Everything is water under the bridge once we won the match. It doesn't matter. We collectively won it. Let us focus on future assignments.

 

[Statpadder Inc]

He got out early througout the world cup. We didn't fold for 120 except at new york where we were 80/2 in 10 overs even after he left. This narrative doesn't fly anymore. A reason wh India went with 8 batsmen is to handle these scenarios. They did handle well. Pandya made 50 against BD. Fact that Dube and Axar outplayed Kohli in that partnership explains everything. Neither of them are pedigree batsmen like Kohli.

There's a huge difference between group stage games and finals as we have painfully learnt over the years.

I have no doubt the remaining batsmen would have frozed under the pressure of the final and the scoreboard 47-4 or something

 

[Cover Drive Six]

I don't have anythiing with Kohli either. He did what he "could" do not what he "had to" do. That is where i differ. Everything is water under the bridge once we won the match. It doesn't matter. We collectively won it. Let us focus on future assignments.

Bro, you are one of my favorite posters. You've already made 100 posts on this topic. I'm still scratching my head about how a knowledgeable poster like you compares high-pressure World Cup final performances with league match performances and blames a top scorer. I don't understand your logic unless you have some bias, which I don't think so. Maybe you have a different view. Anyhow, I'm leaving this.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Bro, you are one of my favorite posters. You've already made 100 posts on this topic. I'm still scratching my head about how a knowledgeable poster like you compares high-pressure World Cup final performances with league match performances and blames a top scorer. I don't understand your logic unless you have some bias, which I don't think so. Maybe you have a different view. Anyhow, I'm leaving this.

I don't blame. But not scoring four for 8 hours was poor. Dube/Axar had to play out of their skin. Luckily they clicked. Imagine DUbe played one of those innings where he gets stuck for 10 balls not doing anything. The fear was genuinely there for me. Thankfully Dube played his best innings of the world cup in a final. India would have ended up with a score like 155. Even this was almost overhauled. Kohli >>>>> Dube and Axar by every metric. Commies called it out througouth the match. As Nasser put review of this innings will be based on the result of the match.

 

[RahulBose]

If they had reached 30 in 30 you would be talking differently. 8 overs without a four has no real excuse. This is T20 for christsake. You ahve to keep taking chance. There is no "anchor" role. India has 8 bastmen.

Yes, but at the time India had only 3 more "batsman" to come and I am also counting Jadeja here, who we know is pretty much non existent here.

Hindsight is 20/20 but when Kohli was playing, all he knew is a above par total is not a luxury India can afford after 30/3.

He choose the best course of action for India. Of course we still could have lost the match, but that does not negate the fact that he choose the correct option.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Yes, but at the time India had only 3 more "batsman" to come and I am also counting Jadeja here, who we know is pretty much non existent here.

Hindsight is 20/20 but when Kohli was playing, all he knew is a above par total is not a luxury India can afford after 30/3.

He choose the best course of action for India. Of course we still could have lost the match, but that does not negate the fact that he choose the correct option.

That innings definitely gave me a deja vu moment. As an Indian fan you cannot blame me. Similar boundayless overs in the world cup final 2023. Only difference between 2023 and 2024 is Axar vs Rahul. Axar did not bat like Rahul. Dube did not bat like Jadeja. Both stepped up massively.

After 17th over India was 134/4 Kohli 50(48)

After SKY wicket from 5th upto 17th over

Kohli 28(32)
Axar 47(31)
Dube 21(12)

Kohli did make up with a couple of boundaries in the death. Things could have gone pearshaped if Dube got stuck there.

 

[pillionrider]

I don't blame. But not scoring four for 8 hours was poor. Dube/Axar had to play out of their skin. Luckily they clicked. Imagine DUbe played one of those innings where he gets stuck for 10 balls not doing anything. The fear was genuinely there for me. Thankfully Dube played his best innings of the world cup in a final. India would have ended up with a score like 155. Even this was almost overhauled. Kohli >>>>> Dube and Axar by every metric. Commies called it out througouth the match. As Nasser put review of this innings will be based on the result of the match.

I had posted that Kohli was gonna show he's boss when he was still in single figures. But by the end of the India innings, my view on the knock was that it was 2 sixes short of being a great performance. It was good, but not great.

However, you seem to suggest Dube played well. Just because he's set the bar so low, doesn't make it ok. I said this at home at the time - Dube has just done enough to ensure he's not put on a donkey and garlanded with chappals when he returns

 

[RahulBose]

He got out early througout the world cup. We didn't fold for 120 except at new york where we were 80/2 in 10 overs even after he left. This narrative doesn't fly anymore. A reason wh India went with 8 batsmen is to handle these scenarios. They did handle well. Pandya made 50 against BD. Fact that Dube and Axar outplayed Kohli in that partnership explains everything. Neither of them are pedigree batsmen like Kohli.

But the 80/2 does not match with 30/4 (if Kohli departed early too) .

You are confused and maybe you haven't watched the match and just going by the numbers and not what the match situation was.

A cricket match is a live game full of possibilities at each turn and you choose the path that maximizes return over least risk.
Just because you looked at Klassen innings (who wouldn't have scored as much if Rohit did not give Axar the last over), does not mean Kohli had the same luxury. Klassen knew what is the target, Kohli did not .

India was setting a total and they choose a decent total over above par total

 

[jnaveen1980]

But the 80/2 does not match with 30/4 (if Kohli departed early too) .
You are confused and maybe you haven't watched the match and just going by the numbers and not what the match situation was.
A cricket match is a live game full of possibilities at each turn and you choose the path that maximizes return over least risk.
Just because you looked at Klassen innings (who wouldn't have scored as much if Rohit did not give Axar the last over), does not mean Kohli had the same luxury. Klassen knew what is the target, Kohli did not .
India was setting a total and they choose a decent total over above par total

I watched the match added comment right through. You can check. I am not alone. Entire twitter was trending chokli, kohli for this slow knock. Commies echoed the same. As i said things are fine becaues of the result.

 

[Devadwal]

After india becomes world champion @Mamoon is hiding .GOAT has won another trophy for india.

 

[Raja111]

People act like he intentionally played this knock and slowed down nearing 50, but that wouldn’t make any difference in his overall career. He came out to bat with the intention of going hard in the final T20 match of his career, and he started that way. But, losing the top three wickets changed everything.

I'm sure the message from the dressing room was for him to stick around as long as possible and let others take the risks. Dravid came out to the field during the break and probably told Axar to take risks and Kohli to stick around as long as possible. But Some act like Axer and Dube outplayed Kohli, But wasn't that supposed to be their roles in that situation? it's not about who outperforms who. If they both had failed, Kohli would have had no option, but to take risks himself, but that didn't happen So, he played it safely.

While his innings alone didn’t win the match, or deserve an award, without it, the Indian bowlers might not have had a score to defend. He was determined not to take any risk because the World Cup was at stack and even a 0.1% chance could mess everything up and IND could have ended up with a low total.

 

[Raja111]

Just because India posted good totals throughout the tournament in league matches without any contributions from him doesn't mean the same would have happened under the pressure of the final. Everyone who helped India post good totals got out, and only bits-and-pieces all-rounders were left to come.

These players need someone to play around them otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted long, as even South African batsmen struggled against pace on this pitch but not against spinners. I'm sure Rabada and Nortje would have quickly dismissed Dube, Jadeja, and even Axar, who might have tried to hit sixes every ball without someone steadying the innings at the other end.

 

[mikeypbadana86]

What is your definition of cricketing logic?

Kohli dragged the pace of the innings. He clogged up the game. We got out of jail because of Bumrah and Bumrah alone.

The facts are it was 30 required off 30 with 6 wickets in hand and two rampaging players at the crease, and SA cruising to a win. And we were short of runs, mainly due the slow pace of Kohli’s innings.

Every analysis (and I’d guess analyst) puts SA ahead of the game until Bumrah turned up.

Kohli got lucky, but he deserved it.

By the by one over in 20:20 is five percent of one innings. Don’t make Klassen’s 24 sound like it’s a momentary thing.

And advantage India all the way till that klaasen over? What game were you watching?

Kohli’s a great innings? I have to shake my head. It was nowhere close. He’s a great player, an ATG, but this innings he got lucky that it did not turn out badly.

The ball was gripping in the first innings and slightly got better for batters with no turn on offer for spinners. Kuldeep had gone for runs so did axar. It was not a great tactical move by Rohit sharma to bowl axar which eventually went for 24 runs. Panday was under utilized since he still had one over left. The win % prior to axars over for India was 52.

When kohli was batting, Team management/He had to account for whats par score. The par score was 180 and Kohli ensured he did it. There is a reason Indias 176 is the highest t20 score in a world cup t20 final.


Kohli’s a great innings? I have to shake my head. It was nowhere close. He’s a great player, an ATG, but this innings he got lucky that it did not turn out badly.

People call joginder sharmas over a master stroke in 2007 t20 final when harbahjan refused to bowl and dhoni having no option got to him. Had misbah not played scoop and played straight and took pakistan over the line, no one would be taking dhonis genuis but Misbhas. An element of "uncontrollable" plays a role. Every ICC final win has an element of luck.

Not only kohli, ben stokes got lucky with 4 over throws in the final over of 2019 world cup final.

2011 world cup final sachin was dropped 4 times.


2011 world cup final , it was good toss to loose with heavy due in second innnings which negated srilankas spinners. The toss was done twice in the final.


2007 t20 final. Imran nazirs run out by a robin uthappa where pak was cruising to win( similar to klasens dismissal) . Had imran nazir stayed in the crease, dhonis 6 runs off 10 balls would have come under scrutiny.


We should not search for reasons of undermining performance in a winning cause, any ones performance be it kohli or sachin or dhoni. The history would remeber India as t20 world cup winner of 2024 with Kohli scoring valuable runs -Period

 

[mikeypbadana86]

 

[mikeypbadana86]

Pitch got slight better in the second innings. During 1st innings, the pitch was damp and assisting the spinners. Kohli did great to get to a par score of close to 180.

 

[Mp812]

Kohli game awareness and adaptability to match situation saved the Indian team from being 120 all out and got them to 176.
He literally held fort on one side and guided Axar and Dube to play two impactful innings to get to 176 after a mini disaster when India had slumped to 39 for 3.