"Didn't expect to be batting after Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik"- Ravichandran Ashwin spills secrets on IND vs PAK Melbourne game

Ravichandran Ashwin was a part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2022. India made it to the semi-final under Rohit Sharma's leadership and lost against England in the knockout clash.

India began their World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 23, 2022. Pakistan posted 159/8 with Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed hitting fifties. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya took three wickets with the ball each for India.

The chase started on a tricky note for India with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul being dismissed quickly. Both were dismissed for four each. That was when Virat Kohli walked out to bat and anchored the innings.

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In the middle order, SKY was dismissed for 15 and Axar Patel was run out for two. From 31 for 4, Hardik Pandya (37) and Kohli added a 113-run stand with Pandya.

India needed 48 off the last 18 balls. With Kohli in Supreme form, the equation then came down to 2 from 1 ball when Dinesh Karthik was dismissed in the penultimate ball of the 20th over. That was when Ashwin walked out to bat.

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He was on strike with the Indian fans at the MCG waiting for him to do something magical. At that point, Mohammad Nawaz the bowler one ball down the leg side.

Ashwin was clever enough to come inside the line of the ball as it went down the leg side for the umpire to call it wide.

The equation then became one from one ball and Ashwin hit the winning runs with a lofted cover drive to win the game for India.

Recalling that that is the best match he has been part of, Ravichandran Ashwin recalled those moments in a conversation with the Institute of Venture Building (IVB), an education and entrepreneurship program for students.

"One of the greatest moments of my cricketing career, there is only two runs to get but one ball left, I am talking about the India vs Pakistan game that happened at the MCG. I did not expect to be batting after Dinesh and Virat had that partnership. When I walked out to the middle, it was a surreal experience." said Ashwin.

He also recollected the thoughts that he had while playing that ball from Nawaz that he left and was called a wide by the umpire. Ashwin's cricketing brain was fully at work at that point and that was an example.

Ravichandran Ashwin Recalls The Wide ball from Mohammad Nawaz

"The moment he (Nawaz) delivered that ball, it took me back to my childhood days, where we used to play cricket with runs on the offside, so you leave the ball naturally when it is bowled on your pads. So I just left that ball, I just went numb for a moment, because this is what you all live for in a situation where there is the pressure you do not have to hit all the balls, you can choose to leave some of them" said Ashwin.

India won the match by four wickets with Ashwin hitting the winning runs. However, the real hero of that match was Kohli who scored an unbeaten 82 off off 53 balls with his team under pressure.

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