Mohali: Virat Kohli through another gem of an innings steered India into the semifinal. Accelerating the run rate when needed through delectable shots, he made the Australian target of 160 for 6 so easy. With his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni he put on an unbeaten 67 runs in 5.1 overs. India won by six wickets.
Kohli remained unconquered on 82 runs off 51 balls with nine boundaries and two sixes while Dhoni remained unbeaten 18 runs. Backed by the crowd chanting Kohli, Kholi, this class batsman added 45 runs off 6.2 overs with Yuvraj Singh (21). India will meet West Indies in the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 31.
Twenty runs needed in the last 12 balls, Kohli smashed Nathan Coulter-Nile for three consecutive boundaries and also picked a four off the last ball to pick 16 runs off the 19th over. Such was Kohli’s fireworks that India needed only four runs from the last over. Dhoni hit the winning run and won the match with five balls to spare. India 59 runs in last 25 balls.
Earlier, Australia after getting off to a flying start from their openers Usman Khawaja (26) and Aaron Finch (43) who put on 54 runs in 4.2 overs, were restricted by Indian bowler through some tight spells.
It was an electrifying atmosphere. All seats in the stadium were occupied half an hour before the toss. Australia won the toss and elected to bat
Australia had lost their last five T20Is against India and their skipper Steven Smith is aware of it. Hoping that the pitch might slow as the match progress he decided to bat first. The wicket is the same that was used for the women’s match between India and West Indies two hours ago. Indian women crashed out of the World Cup losing to West Indies by three runs.
Australian opener Usman Khawaja smashed the first ball of the innings from Ashish Nehra through the square leg boundary but he gave away just that four runs only in the over. Khawaja hit Jasprit Bumrah for three consecutive boundaries in the second over. The first boundary was hit past mid-wicket, the second through mid-on and the third he pulled behind square. He also picked a fourth boundary gliding the ball to the third man region.
In the third over of the match from Nehra, opener Aaron Finch picked his first boundary finding the gap in the covers. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni quickly introduced his strike bowler Ravichandran Ashwin for the fourth over. Finch hit him for two consecutive sixes, both over long on.
Nehra ended Khawaja’s knock in the fifth over after he hit 26 runs by forcing him to edge to wicketkeeper Dhoni. He had put on 54 runs in 4.2 overs with Finch.
David Warner walked into the crease with the crowd chanting India in unison. Bumrah bowled a good sixth over giving away just four runs. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was introduced in the seventh over, who too gave away just five runs.
To intensify the pressure, Dhoni re-introduced Ashwin for the eighth over. He produced a beauty with the fifth ball to beat Warner who stepped out and was brilliantly stumped by Dhoni for 6. With this wicket, Ashwin playing in his 42nd match, became the first Indian bowler to take 50 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals and the 12th player to reach this landmark.
Dhoni surprisingly introduced left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh in the 10th over and he picked the prize wicket of Steven Smith with his first ball forcing him to edge to Dhoni for 2. At the half way mark, Australia were 81 for 3.
Hardik Pandya came in to bowl in the 11th over, he gave away just four runs. Run flow dipped with Yuvraj too bowling a tight 12th over for just eight runs. Australia’s 100 runs came in 12.5 overs but Pandya had Finch caught by Shikhar Dhawan at deep mid-wicket for 43.
With seven overs to go, Shane Watson joined Glenn Maxwell but Pandya and Yuvraj continued to bowl tightly. Five overs to go, Australia were 114 for 4.
Maxwell slog swept Jadeja for a boundary and followed it up with a six through a switch hit.
In the 17th over, Bumrah bowled Maxwell with a slower delivery for 31. Pandya picked the wicket of Faulkner in the last over by having him caught at long on by Kohli for 10. Peter Nevill hit the last two balls of the innings for a boundary and a six.
Chasing Australia’s total, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan hit the second ball of the innings from Jos Hazlewood for a boundary through extra cover. Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled a tight second over for just two runs. Dhawan swung Hazelwood over deep square leg for a six. Opener Rohit Sharma too picked a boundary off Coulter-Nile over mid-wicket. At the score on 23, India lost their first wicket when Dhawan going for a pull off Coulter-Nile top-edged to Khawaja at short fine leg for 13.
Virat Kohli, who joined Sharma hit two successive boundaries off Hazlewood . The first was a flick to the boundary and another a square drive past backward point. Shane Watson who was introduced for the sixth over, clean bowled Sharma for 12.
Next man Suresh Raina lasted just seven balls. Going for a pull, Raina glowed the ball to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill for 10.
At the half way mark India were 65 for 3, needing another 96 runs. Kohli lifted Maxwell for a six over long off but the asking rate kept piling up. Yuvraj too hit leg spinner Adam Zampa for a six over long on.
Faulkner deceived Yuvraj with a slower one which he lobbed towards cover for Watson to take a tumbling catch. Yuvraj and Kohli put on 45 runs in 6.2 overs for the fourth wicket.
In walked Dhoni with India needing 67 runs off 36 balls. He hit Watson to long leg boundary while Kohli smashed Hazlewood for a boundary to mid-wicket. Kohli reached his half century off 39 balls with three boundaries and a six.
In the 18th over, Kohli smashed Faulkner for two consecutive boundaries and a six and picked 19 runs from that over.
