[VIDEO] Was Virat Kohli's six off Haris Rauf arguably the greatest single T20 shot of all time?

[MenInG]

India were in trouble, it seemed like they’d left it too late with 28 required off just eight deliveries. Haris Rauf had been bowling superbly, leaking just 24 runs with two balls of his four overs to go. It was now or never for Kohli and India.

The delivery was a good one, decent pace, cramping Kohli for room, and the Indian star had absolutely no right to do what he did.

A flick of the wrists combined with a short-arm jab sent the ball sailing through the Melbourne sky and deep into the stands in a moment that will go down in cricket history.

Another maximum off the next ball suddenly had India back in the hunt with one over to go, and we all know what happened from there.

But it was that first six in the penultimate over that set up the subsequent drama. It would have been a brilliant shot regardless of the context. But given the match situation, it was extraordinary; arguably the greatest single T20 shot of all time.

https://www.t20worldcup.com/news/2909551

 

[Suleiman]

Yeah it was. It was also game changing in a way because you can see in Haris’s follow through that he goes limp out of disbelief. That shot killed Haris’s confidence who was in stunning form right before the WC and looked a threat for the whole innings up until this shot.

Wasn’t that great for the rest of the tournament either.

This shot for me is tied with Marlon Samuels’ legside flick six to Malinga’s Yorker in the 2012 t20 WC final.

 

[Mamoon]

Yes it was.

Only a GOAT like Kohli could have produced a shot like that in that situation against that ball.

Moments like these separate him from the rest. Simply the greatest ODI/T20I batsman ever.

 

[Savak]

No Doubt. Hitting a slower ball bouncer or short of a length delivery is very difficult. I have seen many players hole out in side the circle or on the boundary, it is very tough to generate power on the shot.

However i have seen Kohli successfully do this many times against slower ball rising bouncers against a couple of pacers. He surely practices the shot in the nets many times to have the confidence to execute it in match situations.

I just wish our Pakistani players displayed the same work ethic in practice and the off season to develop their games like this. I see them repeatedly game after game struggle against the opposition changes of pace, slower ball bouncers e.t.c.

 

[Fenrir]

Kohli got an edge which ended in a six due to the pace of Haris.It was not a clean hit.

 

[JaDed]

Kohli got an edge which ended in a six due to the pace of Haris.It was not a clean hit.

The ball before that.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Good shot but been posted by others. I found the scoop to cow corner more remarkable

 

[Smudger]

It was a good shot but it was a slow ball so nothing truly special

 

[RexRex]

Good shot but been posted by others. I found the scoop to cow corner more remarkable

Who played a scoop to cow corner ?

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Who played a scoop to cow corner ?

The other one..fine leg

 

[the Great Khan]

Bit of a fluke..so was the next..kohli said as much..

 

[mikeypbadana86]

He didn't say fluke. He said it was pretty instinctive.Ricky Ponting on the shot said," only kohli could have played the shot but no one else. His balance fitness allowed him to do that.

 

[gazza619]

Yes it was.

Only a GOAT like Kohli could have produced a shot like that in that situation against that ball.

Moments like these separate him from the rest. Simply the greatest ODI/T20I batsman ever.

Talk about hypocrisy. As per your books Rauf is a brainless street cricketer. If that is the case than Kohli’s shot doesn't mean anything.

 

[Savak]

That shot is going to scar Rauf for a very long time. Even in the T-20 WC final, he bowled a brainless slower delivery to Stokes who dispatched it for 4 after troubling him with pace and bounce in the over. Someone needs to tell him no slower deliveries if the pitch doesn't demand it.

 

[ex-q-zit]

Talk about hypocrisy. As per your books Rauf is a brainless street cricketer. If that is the case than Kohli’s shot doesn't mean anything.

Whether Haris is a brainless cricketer or not is not the question. Considering the length at which the ball came to him any other cricketer in world cricket would have tried to hook/pull it or guys like SKy might have scooped it or glanced it over the WKs head. But if they played the Kohli shot they would have been caught well inside the boundary.

Many cricketers ahve said this Mark Taylor, Aaqib, moin, Kamran, Tanveer, Rashid, Gilchrist, Malik, Salman Butt and the list just goes on.

 

[gazza619]

Whether Haris is a brainless cricketer or not is not the question. Considering the length at which the ball came to him any other cricketer in world cricket would have tried to hook/pull it or guys like SKy might have scooped it or glanced it over the WKs head. But if they played the Kohli shot they would have been caught well inside the boundary.

Many cricketers ahve said this Mark Taylor, Aaqib, moin, Kamran, Tanveer, Rashid, Gilchrist, Malik, Salman Butt and the list just goes on.

Don’t think you are getting my point. I am not arguing if the shot was good or not.


Mark Taylor, Aaqib, moin, Kamran, Tanveer, Rashid, Gilchrist, Malik, Salman Butt and Co did not class Haris Rauf as a low skilled 3rd class cricketer.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Ian smith called it right away. Cannot be executed by normal human being. When Pandya was struggling to put away those slow into the pitch deliveries smith was telling he should try to play in a different location as it is hard to hit down the ground of those deliveries. Next delivery Kohli hit that straight down the ground.

 

[Mamoon]

Talk about hypocrisy. As per your books Rauf is a brainless street cricketer. If that is the case than Kohli’s shot doesn't mean anything.

So? An ordinary bowler can bowl a good ball, an ordinary batsman can play a poor shot.

Rauf is an ordinary bowler, but this was a good delivery that almost no batsman other than Kohli would have managed to send to the stands. It was an outrageous shot especially when you consider MCG’s dimensions.

The delivery after this one was total crap though. A freebie but Rauf was already mentally shot. That is the Rauf we have become accustomed too: erratic bowler who bowls without any thought process.

 

[RexRex]

This was the best shot from Kohli imo.


<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/mlh5az" frameborder="0" ></iframe>

 

[jnaveen1980]

I don't think anyone in T20 can do this well purely with cricketing shots without any scoops. reverse paddles,

 

[jnaveen1980]

So? An ordinary bowler can bowl a good ball, an ordinary batsman can play a poor shot.

Rauf is an ordinary bowler, but this was a good delivery that almost no batsman other than Kohli would have managed to send to the stands. It was an outrageous shot especially when you consider MCG’s dimensions.

The delivery after this one was total crap though. A freebie but Rauf was already mentally shot. That is the Rauf we have become accustomed too: erratic bowler who bowls without any thought process.

If you look at the field set for 6th ball. They were setting the trap at long leg. That fielder was moved specifically for that shot. His ball was also on the leg stump. But he hit him over his head for six.

 

[Savak]

This Kohli knock was just like the Tendulkar knock at Centurian. Both knocks utterly destroyed, humiliated Pakistan and left huge scars on the Pakistani fans.

It was the trashing that Tendulkar administered to Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Razzaq in the 2003 game that basically confirmed that the W's were going to be asked to retire after that Cup.

 

[topspin]

Certainly yes.

Babar and Rizwan could only dream of delivering a six on the big occasion.

 

[kingusama92]

Definitely one of the most difficult shots to play.

Even his second six was incredible.

 

[Aman]

For me it's this.

Never seen anything like it before and to hit it that far from that kind of shot is impossible.

 

[jnaveen1980]

For me it's this.

Never seen anything like it before and to hit it that far from that kind of shot is impossible.

That is Chris gayle shot

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

Sachin's monstrous sixer to Shoaib Akhtar in 2003 world cup is my favourite cricketing shot of all time.
But, talking about match situation and pressure, this shot is arguably more important than Sachin's flick.
Just like Sachin's shot, Kohli's shot and knock will be remembered for ages.

 

[rhony]

It was the moment. He needed a six on that ball desperately. He also couldn't get out trying to hit. Pandya wasn't striking the ball well. The safest shot is straight which he plays quite often. No matter where Rauf bowled, he would have gone for a six that ball. And he did. How? Sheer will and pure talent. There are a few that can hit a six on that ball. I don't think anyone else could have hit "that" shot though. It was the safest six he could have hit and he did with pure timing and strength.

 

[Kianig89]

yes great shot bu Kohli but i find Buttler's ramp shot against Naseem was amazing given that he was beaten thrice before that delivery

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[Suleiman]

This was the best shot from Kohli imo.


<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/mlh5az" frameborder="0" ></iframe>

He’s hit that shot many times before though. Usually goes inside out over covers when he’s well set.

The one Vs Haris was unconventional and breaks a lot of rules because he can. Poetic license.

The leg glance six was also crazy when Haris bowled that leg stump ball.

Haris needs to trust his own pace and strengths more, which is true genuine short pitched bowling and hard Yorkers. The way he got SKY was beautiful. Snorter.

First ball to Kohli was good too.

 

[gazza619]

Rauf is an ordinary bowler, but this was a good delivery

If Rauf had gotten the wicket of Kohli on that so called good delivery you would have called it a fluke.

And that is my point. You cant have it both ways.

Did Kohli play that same shot again throughout the tournament?, no. So why would you not call that shot a fluke.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

For me it's this.

Never seen anything like it before and to hit it that far from that kind of shot is impossible.

Yeah. I liked this one better. Reminded me of Codemasters Brian Lara Cricket 99 shots.

 

[Rajdeep]

If Rauf had gotten the wicket of Kohli on that so called good delivery you would have called it a fluke.

And that is my point. You cant have it both ways.

Did Kohli play that same shot again throughout the tournament?, no. So why would you not call that shot a fluke.

Kohli has got an avg of 308 against Pakistan in T20 world cup and you manage to get him out only once in 5 attempts, that too after he scored a half century. That shot was not a fluke rather a player with immense self-confident who knows he can deliver anything against this opposition.

 

[Mamoon]

If Rauf had gotten the wicket of Kohli on that so called good delivery you would have called it a fluke.

And that is my point. You cant have it both ways.

Did Kohli play that same shot again throughout the tournament?, no. So why would you not call that shot a fluke.

Kohli has played such genius shots throughout his career. It is not a fluke for him. He is the GOAT.

Put Kohli in the same situation 10 times (India 4 down, chasing this total against Pakistan) and he will find a way to take India him 9 times.

Nothing that he does is fluke. He completely owns Pakistan cricket and our bowlers are at his mercy.

He has a huge psychological impact on us. We fear him. We are afraid of him. We are scared, petrified. We always bow down to the king.

 

[SamNJ]

Can't find anything better. Cramped for the room still managed to produce some amount of bat swing and then pure timing.
Makes it more special because it was against a gun bowler who has got better of every other batsmen that day.

 

[SamNJ]

This Kohli knock was just like the Tendulkar knock at Centurian. Both knocks utterly destroyed, humiliated Pakistan and left huge scars on the Pakistani fans.

It was the trashing that Tendulkar administered to Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Razzaq in the 2003 game that basically confirmed that the W's were going to be asked to retire after that Cup.

This Pakistani team is very different from the one in 2000s. Nasser asked Shadab before finals that how difficult it was after the game against India to pull yourself up and he said it was difficult at first but we all believed that we were the better team on that day so lets not think about a result much and move on. So I don't think it will play on their mind that much.

 

[gazza619]

Kohli has got an avg of 308 against Pakistan in T20 world cup and you manage to get him out only once in 5 attempts, that too after he scored a half century. That shot was not a fluke rather a player with immense self-confident who knows he can deliver anything against this opposition.

Kohli has played such genius shots throughout his career. It is not a fluke for him. He is the GOAT.

Put Kohli in the same situation 10 times (India 4 down, chasing this total against Pakistan) and he will find a way to take India him 9 times.

Nothing that he does is fluke. He completely owns Pakistan cricket and our bowlers are at his mercy.

He has a huge psychological impact on us. We fear him. We are afraid of him. We are scared, petrified. We always bow down to the king.

I am not for once doubting Kohli’s shot or his class overall. He is a true ATG.

The soul of my post is in support of Rauf. He got out Buttler on an amazing delivery in the final as well. We need to stop this hatred against Rauf and accept the fact that those who were calling him brainless were clueless themselves.

 

[Mamoon]

It is interesting to think about Kohli’s psychological impact on the opposition. In spite of struggling for 3 years, no player gets anywhere near his aura and presence on the pitch.

Teams like Pakistan and Australia are scared of him but then you have the likes of England and New Zealand who don’t fear him at all. They respect him but they don’t fear him.

 

[the Great Khan]

Complete fluke shot..he had no choice just went for it.. could have got out but didn't.. total pot luck..

 

[Raja111]

Complete fluke shot..he had no choice just went for it.. could have got out but didn't.. total pot luck..

He has already played the same shot against England aswell. Was that fluke too?

 

[jnaveen1980]

He has already played the same shot against England aswell. Was that fluke too?

A top-edged six is what you call a fluke lol Hitting straight down the ground over the bowler's head at the MCG can never be called a fluke. These are not ramped shots using the pace or full tosses given direction. Would have been a case of the bowler losing his head. This was the delivery that was working for him for 6 or 7 deliveries against Pandya. Pandya despite having the ability to hit the long ball himself Kohli denied 2nd run in the 5th ball bit like Misba denied a run in 2007 final.

 

[Aseem_04]

It is interesting to think about Kohli’s psychological impact on the opposition. In spite of struggling for 3 years, no player gets anywhere near his aura and presence on the pitch.

Teams like Pakistan and Australia are scared of him but then you have the likes of England and New Zealand who don’t fear him at all. They respect him but they don’t fear him.

Actually it was in Buttler's mind kohli is brilliant chaser ,when it comes to chasing his stats are Bradmanesque that's why he offered india bat first.

 

[the Great Khan]

He has already played the same shot against England aswell. Was that fluke too?

Both complete flukes. That shot could easily have gone down a fielders throat. He didn't have much control over ut just hoped his power got it over..

Second shot was a blatant fluke too..

 

[Aseem_04]

He's goat and greatest Batsman everyone praising his shot and than there's you ,who are you? Who cares about you Don't cry man.

 

[Kianig89]

Some real self loathing by Uganda fans a real shame

 

[Aseem_04]

The greatest batsman is fluke? Learn to appreciate Don't be bigotry cause kohli always stand against you and smashed your team, every indian user here appreciate Ssa and Rauf ,Shadab, I don't think so they called Saheen''s performance or ability to swing it fluke.

 

[Aseem_04]

I am learning how to tag someone and reply not familiar to forum so it's happening

 

[mikeypbadana86]

Kohli has played such genius shots throughout his career. It is not a fluke for him. He is the GOAT.

Put Kohli in the same situation 10 times (India 4 down, chasing this total against Pakistan) and he will find a way to take India him 9 times.

Nothing that he does is fluke. He completely owns Pakistan cricket and our bowlers are at his mercy.

He has a huge psychological impact on us. We fear him. We are afraid of him. We are scared, petrified. We always bow down to the king.

Indian fan here. As much as I adore the brilliance of Kohli, any reason he could not dominate chasing a mammoth 339 against pak in 2017 champions trophy final? State of mind/depleted Indian psyche after Pakistan plundered 339?

 

[saeedhk]

Yes, it was. The greatest shot in T20 ever! It was unreal and only a player like Kohli can pull off a set like this one. The amount of fear Pakistani players have of Kohli is unmatched. He is the true ATG and he absolutely treats Pakistani bowlers with disdain and contempt.

 

[alone1213]

A top-edged six is what you call a fluke lol Hitting straight down the ground over the bowler's head at the MCG can never be called a fluke. These are not ramped shots using the pace or full tosses given direction. Would have been a case of the bowler losing his head. This was the delivery that was working for him for 6 or 7 deliveries against Pandya. Pandya despite having the ability to hit the long ball himself Kohli denied 2nd run in the 5th ball bit like Misba denied a run in 2007 final.

Lol he didn't bowl a single slower ball to pandya. What match were you watching. He was beating pandya for pace.
He bowled two slower balls to Virat and he got hit for six.
That shot was not a fluke but had haris bowled a faster ball at that same length Virat would not have been able to hit six.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Lol he didn't bowl a single slower ball to pandya. What match were you watching. He was beating pandya for pace.
He bowled two slower balls to Virat and he got hit for six.
That shot was not a fluke but had haris bowled a faster ball at that same length Virat would not have been able to hit six.

It is much harder to hit a slower hard length ball to hit straight down the ground. There is a reason why bowlers bowl that ball at the MCG as the only shot that is available for batsman is pull shot. You don't see any player playing that length straight down the ground. He has clattered Mitchell Johnson and other express pacers all over Australian grounds.Heck even Bangladesh batsman smashed Rauf for staright six of his on pace delivery.

Listen to the experts

 

[jnaveen1980]

Lol he didn't bowl a single slower ball to pandya. What match were you watching. He was beating pandya for pace.
He bowled two slower balls to Virat and he got hit for six.
That shot was not a fluke but had haris bowled a faster ball at that same length Virat would not have been able to hit six.

•
Haris Rauf to Hardik, no run
Slower legcutter outside off, and Hardik misses the attempted flat-bat off drive

 

[Suleiman]

Indian fan here. As much as I adore the brilliance of Kohli, any reason he could not dominate chasing a mammoth 339 against pak in 2017 champions trophy final? State of mind/depleted Indian psyche after Pakistan plundered 339?

Don’t mind him, he has a habit of over praising India and England and their cricketers as much as he has the tendency to undersell Pakistan and its cricketers. Talks in hyperboles as much as he hates hyperboles himself when a few Pakistanis use them for their players.

With that said, Kohli is a legend and yeah a final has much more pressure than a group stage game. When you add a grand total of 339 to chase even the most seasoned chaser of the game is going to feel the heat

 

[Third_Umpire]

It was a low % shot, and very fortunate for Kohli that it came off. Another day, it would have popped straight up.

That said, only the GOAT has the guts and the skills to pull it off.

India didn’t deserve to win that game. And Kohli didn’t deserve to lose.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It was a low % shot, and very fortunate for Kohli that it came off. Another day, it would have popped straight up.

That said, only the GOAT has the guts and the skills to pull it off.

India didn’t deserve to win that game. And Kohli didn’t deserve to lose.

Low % shot for normal batsman. The pull shot of Shaheen shah that almost went for six over very long square boundary was also a high bouncer. That was also a hard shot to execute. He played that shot almost at chest level. Very difficult shot to execute. If you go back to test series against Australia at the MCG he received most of the 140k stuffs from Mitch Johsnon from 2 feet outside the crease. He has some ridiculous shots at his disposal that he can unleash anytime he wants. Only reason this one was special because he was getting out to part timers in the IPL.

 

[arif_2021]

Please relax.

No one would be talking about this shot had india lost the game.

India barely scraped through and deservedly lost to England without taking a single wicket. That’s their caliber.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Please relax.

No one would be talking about this shot had india lost the game.

India barely scraped through and deservedly lost to England without taking a single wicket. That’s their caliber.

Not really. Smith already told after that shot "He might not win it but he is a genius cannot be played by normal human being" This was before the last over.

 

[arif_2021]

Ok.

Then the greatest shot is babar azam cut/drive smack to shami last year when Ian bishop said that this shot is worth the price of admission. That set the tone of that match and you can see rishabh pant’s sorry Face that match was lost there.

Commentators say things to spice up situations.

It doesn’t mean anything.

 

[IamIndian]

Please relax.

No one would be talking about this shot had india lost the game.

India barely scraped through and deservedly lost to England without taking a single wicket. That’s their caliber.

Still India has won more trophies than Pakistan in ICC Tournaments.

 

[PerfectionPersonified]

Watched it live sailing over my head. Incredible shot. Best of the best.

 

[Saj]

Great shot yes.

The greatest ever? No it wasn't.

 

[arif_2021]

Still India has won more trophies than Pakistan in ICC Tournaments.

For a country with 50 x the cricketing economy, you'd expect them to win atleast a little bit more.

They have not won anything in the last 10 years.

Pakistan has won CT, and been to QF of 2015, SF of WCT20 2021 and finals of 2022...

They have done a lot better despite having no cricket at home

Oh, and India tried to get us banned from WC2019

 

[alone1213]

•
Haris Rauf to Hardik, no run
Slower legcutter outside off, and Hardik misses the attempted flat-bat off drive

LoL you have only slower ball to see. He was beating hardik guy for pace not those slower balls and even Virat wasn't able to do anything to those pacy balls.

Had haris bowled a faster ball he would have been fine but instead he went for those slower balls and got hit for 2 sixes.

One slower ball was mistake but the 2nd one was just idiotic.

 

[jnaveen1980]

LoL you have only slower ball to see. He was beating hardik guy for pace not those slower balls and even Virat wasn't able to do anything to those pacy balls.

Had haris bowled a faster ball he would have been fine but instead he went for those slower balls and got hit for 2 sixes.

One slower ball was mistake but the 2nd one was just idiotic.

What makes you think he could not have played that shot or pull shot. He was ready for whatever he was going to get. Wonder why Kohli didn't hit 4 or 5 sixes against Naseem Shah who bowled series of slower balls. Had he bowled faster he would have thrashed him lol It is easy to make this kind of argument. If he had hit him for 6 of an on pace delivery you would have said "he should have bowled sloer ones"

 

[sweep_shot]

It was one of the best considering the occasion.

But, I think it was fluke. I doubt he or anyone can repeat that consistently. It just came off on that night.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It was one of the best considering the occasion.

But, I think it was fluke. I doubt he or anyone can repeat that consistently. It just came off on that night.

wow If that is fluke everything that happened in that match is fluke lol

 

[RexRex]

Best Kohli six from the previous world cup in 2021 :


<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/tnd0fn" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen ></iframe>

 

[RexRex]

^ There's something majestic and pleasing on the eye about how Kohli hits his sixes. I watch the England batsmen and while they're more brutal and powerful, I don't find them aesthetically pleasing.

Jos Buttler for instance is built like a tank and his sixes resemble the Hulk hurling a truck over the boundary. We need more grace and beauty in strokeplay. Stokes is an exception in that regard.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

One of Samuels' sixes to Malinga in wt20 2012 final were better. Hitting a prime Malinga yorker for a six in a final in difficult conditions.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Best Kohli six from the previous world cup in 2021 :


<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/tnd0fn" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen ></iframe>

It is a fluke shot as per some lol

 

[jnaveen1980]

One of Samuels' sixes to Malinga in wt20 2012 final were better. Hitting a prime Malinga yorker for a six in a final in difficult conditions.

Against Malinga, Dhoni's helicopter six tops everything. If Kohli is daddy of Malinga, Dhoni is granddaddy.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

Best Kohli six from the previous world cup in 2021 :


<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/tnd0fn" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen ></iframe>

This is pure authoritative six.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

Most runs for India against a Bowler in T20WC

50 - Virat Kohli v Shahid Afridi
41 - Virat Kohli v Dwayne Bravo
37 - Yuvraj Singh v Start Broad
34 - Virat Kohli v Shaheen Afridi*

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Against Malinga, Dhoni's helicopter six tops everything. If Kohli is daddy of Malinga, Dhoni is granddaddy.

Brilliant shot and execution indeed.

I was talking in regards to context, Samuels vs Malinga was wt20 final with WI 40/4 in 11 overs. And that knock ended up winning the cup for WI.

 

[ethan hunt]

Too much being made out of one stroke in a game between two semifinalists.
India these days require a minor miracle petformance and lots of luck to beat Pakistan in t20s. On pattas pakistan have become too strong. Great shot and i rate kohli very highly but ultimately Kohli was at the non striker end with 2 to win of 1 ball even after that lucky no ball. Too much being made out of a fluke that ultimately didnt matter much in the tournament.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Too much being made out of one stroke in a game between two semifinalists.
India these days require a minor miracle petformance and lots of luck to beat Pakistan in t20s. On pattas pakistan have become too strong. Great shot and i rate kohli very highly but ultimately Kohli was at the non striker end with 2 to win of 1 ball even after that lucky no ball. Too much being made out of a fluke that ultimately didnt matter much in the tournament.

So far Pakistan has beaten an aged unit India in UAE pakistan's unofficial 'homeground'. That's about it. Both times while batting second thanks to Arshdeep's drop should i say since we talk about "luck". 2-2. This is an ultra short format where anyone can lose to anyone. Pakistan team should know more about it since they lost back to back to Srilanka, almost botched up against Afghanistan, lost to Zimbabwe more recently.

 

[Suleiman]

Brilliant shot and execution indeed.

I was talking in regards to context, Samuels vs Malinga was wt20 final with WI 40/4 in 11 overs. And that knock ended up winning the cup for WI.

Yep, that’s the one I mentioned in this thread too. That flick six off a Malinga Yorker is saved in my mind lol. Still the best shot in t20 history IMO.

Funny thing is Kohli has played a similar shot to Malinga as well. But it was in an ODI Tri series in Australia. Same one where Kohli announced himself for the first time iirc.

That second six off Kohli’s pads to Haris’s final delivery was pure class though.

Bad ball but most batsmen would put it away for a 4. He timed it so well that it went for 6.

 

[Firebat]

One of the most iconic sixes yes, but I wouldn't call it the single greatest T20 shot of all time. That probably has a bit of recency bias.

 

[MenInG]

Haris Rauf believes that no player in world cricket save the peerless Virat Kohli could have hit him for those two sixes in that thrilling India victory against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match in October. Speaking for the first time to a Pakistani website about those two hits, Rauf said had Hardik Pandya or Dinesh Karthik hit him like that, he would have felt "hurt". Kohli's unbeaten 83 off 52 balls, considered as one of the greatest T20 innings, saw India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by four wickets.

Needing 28 off the last eight balls, Kohli first lofted Rauf down the ground with a back-foot punch for the ages and then flicked him behind square to basically close the game before last over.

"That was his class and the kind of shots that he plays, and the two sixes that he hit, I don't think any other player could hit those kind of shots. Had Dinesh Karthik or Hardik Pandya hit me like that, I would have been hurt but that was Kohli, and that's different class," Rauf said in an interview.

The first six hit down the ground is something that Rauf isn't able to comprehend even after a month.

"I had no idea that he (Kohli) can hit me down the ground off that length. So when he hit that shot off me, that's his class. My plan and execution was fine but that shot was all class."

Rauf's plan was to give left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz at least 20-run cushion for the last over but Kohli's brilliance upset his plans.

"Look, India required 31 off the last 12 balls. I had given away only three runs off four deliveries. I knew Nawaz was bowling the last over, he is a spinner and I had tried to leave at least four big boundaries for him and leave at least more than 20 runs," said Rauf.

"And since 28 were required off last eight balls, I bowled three slower one and he was deceived. I had only bowled one quick ball out of four. So the idea was to bowl a slower one on that back-of-a-length zone since the dimensions of square boundary was bigger."

Rauf said he has shared a good rapport with Kohli, having bowled to him at the India nets during the 2018-19 series when the last Test was held at the SCG.

"I was playing Grade 1 club cricket in Sydney and I had bowled to the Indian team. Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravi Shastri, they have always met me with lot of warmth. Ravi Shastri, in fact, during World Cup told me that he was so happy to see my success and transition.

"Kohli has also been very appreciative. He told me that you bowled at our nets and now it is good to see you do well at international level."

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/wou...but-kohli-haris-raufs-ultimate-praise-3571167

 

[MenInG]

Haris Rauf on a TV show:

"Of course, it hurt when that went for a six. I didn't say anything but it hurt me personally. I thought something wrong had happened"

"Anyone who knows cricket knows what sort of a player he is. He has played that shot now; I don't think he can do that again. Such shots are quite rare, you can't hit them again and again. His timing was perfect and it went for a six"

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...ble-six-vs-pak-at-t20-wc-101673094693264.html