Tag: kohli

Categories
Lifestyle Lite Blogs

Kohli’s Luxurious Retreat

A sanctuary for the senses, Avās Living echoes a transformative experience that seamlessly blends sophistication, design, wellness, and sustainable living…reports Asian Lite News

A household name in the world of sports and a resident of Avās Living in Alibaug, Virat Kohli gives an intimate glimpse into an opulent and thoughtfully designed Avās Living residence, showcasing the seamless fusion of elegance, wellness, and comfort. Appointed as the Wellness Ambassador of India’s first and one-of-a-kind ultra-luxury wellness community, Virat Kohli walked through the various facets of the custom home at Avās Living sharing insights into the inspiration behind the design and allure of Alibaug as the chosen location.

Virat Kohli expressed his enthusiasm stating, “I am thrilled to share this invigorating space that represents my commitment to well-being and mindful living. It’s not just a home, it’s a sanctuary where I find balance and rejuvenation away from the cricket field. This makes for a perfect weekend that involves escaping to a tranquil location, indulging in a favourite hobby or spending quality time with loved ones.”

The ace athlete’s second home at Avās Living is a testament to architectural brilliance and balanced lifestyle. It reflects his unique style and taste, harmonising luxury with wellness principles. Designed by SAOTA Architects, the home is a holistic amalgamation of a great living space with dedicated areas for fitness, relaxation, and rejuvenation curated to enhance one’s overall wellbeing.

Nestled in the picturesque town of Alibaug, Avās Living serves as an extension of Avās Wellness specialised in crafting unique, tailor made homes in collaboration with renowned global architects and interior designers. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, these residences are designed to meet the conceivable desire of discerning homeowners, whether it’s a cutting edge gym, a state-of-the-art entertainment space, or on-site sports facilities. The aesthetic elements of these homes are uniquely customised to mirror the owner’s distinct tastes and preferences, setting new standards for luxury living.

A sanctuary for the senses, Avās Living echoes a transformative experience that seamlessly blends sophistication, design, wellness, and sustainable living. The property addresses the core function of design and architecture which intrinsically connects well-being into living environments. Following a biophilic design philosophy, Avās Living incorporates technology to make the villas modern homes ensuring optimum air quality, water quality and other elements to improve health, sleep, and mood. Being within a gated community, Avās Living fosters a profound sense of belonging and security, truly making it an ideal haven for its residents.

“Each home at Avās Living is a unique masterpiece, reflecting the individuality of its owner. Every element is carefully crafted to nurture the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of residents. Avās Living is a gated community that boasts extravagant amenities, personalised spaces, and cutting-edge technology to enhance every facet of daily living. We’re honoured to have had the opportunity to create a second home for Virat Kohli where every detail is crafted with precision to resonate his unique lifestyle and personality,” said Aditya Kilachand, Founder and CEO of Avās Living.

ALSO READ-Kohli, Iyer Set The Stage, Shami Finishes With Flair

Categories
Sport Sports

Kohli completes 12 years in Test cricket

During his captaincy tenure of 68 matches, Kohli guided the team to an impressive 40 victories…reports Asian Lite News

Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli on Tuesday completed 12 years in Test cricket and expressed his gratitude with a short post on social media.

The former India captain made his Test debut on June 20, 2011, against West Indies at Kingston and since then played 109 Tests scoring 8,479 runs at an average of 48.72 including 28 hundreds and the same number of half-centuries, breaking numerous records along the way.

Taking to Twitter, the 34-year-old commemorated his completion of 12 years in Test cricket and wrote: “12 years in Test cricket today. Forever grateful.”

He was handed over the Test reigns as India’s Test captain after M.S. Dhoni announced his retirement from the longest format. During his captaincy tenure of 68 matches, Kohli guided the team to an impressive 40 victories, while experiencing 17 losses and 11 draws with a commendable win percentage of 58.82.

Under his leadership, India reached the Test rankings summit and also won its first-ever Test series Down Under in 2019 and also registered big Test wins in England and South Africa.

However, his scoring rate dropped drastically in the past few years as he went century-less for 41 innings since scoring a hundred against Bangladesh in 2019.

After a wait of 1205 days, Kohli finally registered a Test century, bringing up three figures during the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Ahmedabad earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s net worth has topped the Rs 1,000 crore mark making him one of the richest Indian celebrities.

According to Stock Gro, Kohli’s net worth stands at Rs 1,050 crore. The break up includes India cricket contracts, brand endorsements, ownership of brands and social media posts.

As per reports, Kohli’s chunk of earnings come from brand endorsements.

Kohli is said to earn Rs 7 crore annually from his Team India contract and receives Rs 15 lakh for each Test match, Rs 6 lakh for each ODI, and Rs 3 lakh for each T20 match. He earns Rs 15 crore annually from the T 20 league.

Kohli has invested in start-ups, including Blue Tribe, Universal Sportsbiz, MPL, Sports Convo, Digit, among others.

ALSO READ: Celebrating 50 years of first-ever Cricket World Cup

Categories
Sport Sports

Kohli picks his ‘GOAT’

Sachin and Viv both have the numbers that justify Virat’s words…reports Asian Lite News

Star India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli on Wednesday revealed two batters that he regards as the ‘Greatest of All Time’, saying that they changed the dynamics of cricket completely.

“I have always taken two names, Sachin Tendulkar and Sir Viv Richards are the GOATs of Cricket. Sachin is my hero. These two have revolutionized batting in their generation and completely change the dynamic of cricket. That is why I feel they are the two greatest,” said Virat in a video posted by RCB.

Sachin and Viv both have the numbers that justify Virat’s words. In 664 international appearances, Sachin scored 34,357 runs at an average of 48.52, with 100 centuries and 164 fifties. His best score is 248*. He holds numerous records in the sport, including most runs in Tests, ODIs and international cricket as a whole. He is also the only player to score 100 international centuries, with Virat (75 centuries) as his distant rival. With 201 international wickets and the best bowling figures of 5/32, Sachin was a capable spin bowler as well.

Viv also had the reputation for being one of the most dangerous batters of his time. He was part of the West Indies side that won the 1975 and 1979 Cricket World Cups. He scored 8,540 runs in 121 Tests at an average of 50.23, with 24 tons and 45 fifties. He also scored 6,721 runs in 187 ODIs at an average of 47.00, with 11 tons and 45 fifties.

On being asked what he would say if he shared a table with the retired tennis great Roger Federer and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, Virat said that he would just listen to both of them talking.

“I would just keep quiet and listen to both of them. I do not have much to contribute to that conversation. It would be all about soaking everything in, listening to two of the greatest athletes in the history of sports,” said Virat.

Recalling the fun he used to have playing with trump cards as a kid, Virat said that it was one of his favourite things to play with his friends.

“We used to hunt for those cards. Lex Luger (former WWE wrestler), used to be ranked one. There was Giant Gonsalvez (WWE wrestler) as well. It was fun playing with those cards. I also had posters of sportspersons, especially cricketers,” said Virat.

RCB will start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season with a match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at their home arena, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on April 2.

Last year, RCB qualified for playoffs and lost to Rajasthan Royals in qualifier 2 by seven wickets.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Squad strength: 25 players (overseas 8)

Players bought during IPL 2023 auction – Reece Topley (INR 1.9 crore), Himanshu Sharma (INR 20 lakh), Will Jacks (INR 3.2 crore), Manoj Bhandage (INR 20 lakh), Rajan Kumar (INR 70 lakh), Avinash Singh (INR 60 lakh).

Players retained – Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep

ALSO READ: Is it the end of the road for Rahane, Bhuvneshwar?

Categories
India News Sport Sports

‘Happy to start like this in the World Cup year’

Kohli was the top run-scorer of the series, making 283 runs in three innings at an average of 141.50 and strike-rate of 137.37, making centuries in Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram….reports Asian Lite News

After winning Player of the Series award in India’s 3-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, talismanic batter Virat Kohli said it is indeed an ideal start for him, especially with the ODI World Cup scheduled later this year.

On a slow yet placid pitch at the Greenfield International Stadium, Kohli was off the blocks quickly, and anchored the innings for a large part to be unbeaten on 166 not out off 110 balls, his tenth hundred against Sri Lanka. In his third century in last four ODI innings, Kohli hit 13 fours and eight sixes, feasting on a hapless bowling attack.

In the last ten overs, he fetched 84 out of the 116 runs India scored to literally bat Sri Lanka out of the match as the hosts’ made a mammoth 390/5 on Sunday. Kohli was the top run-scorer of the series, making 283 runs in three innings at an average of 141.50 and strike-rate of 137.37, making centuries in Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram.

“It’s been a great start (to the year). It’s been a while since I started the year like this� getting a hundred and then scoring two hundred in the series and also becoming the man of the series. I am just happy that in the World Cup year, I can start like this, and I know I can be consistent.”

“When I start like this, and I start feeling confident, then things usually go well. I am happy from a team’s point of view that I got to start like this and that the team can gel really well as a batting unit,” said Kohli in a video posted on bcci.tv.

Kohli also congratulated opener Shubman Gill for his second ODI century and first in India too. “Congratulations for your first hundred in India. You deserved to get one in the first match. Today also you played phenomenally well and many more at home and away will come in the future.”

He had also shared a 131-run partnership with Gill, who was stylish in his 116 off 97 balls, hitting 14 fours and two sixes, which came after missing chances to get a big knock in Guwahati and Kolkata.

“I was disappointed when I got out in the first ODI. I was looking to go big in that match but unfortunately, nahi ho paaya (it didn’t happen). In Kolkata, also, I was playing well but failed to convert my start. Yahi tha ki agar start milta hai to lamba jaane ki koshish karunga (Today I just wanted to take it deep if I would have got a great start). I have felt in Test matches as well that I left a bit of runs there and could have gone even big,” he said.

Gill also credited Kohli for helping him through the innings to reach three-figure mark. “Jaise jab hum batting kar rahe they tab aapne aa ke kaha ki tera aaj lamba jaane ka time hai aur aapne aate hi rhythm badal diya (While we were in the middle, you told me that today I am going to score big and you changed the rhythm right from the word go).”

“You were batting on 15 in first seven-eight balls and whatever was discussed with you, I had kept that in mind while batting alongside you.”

Kohli remarked he enjoyed batting with the youngster. “I really enjoyed batting with Shubman. We haven’t batted for very long many times. But today (Sunday) was the day where we had a good partnership and it really helped the team as well. So, I was very happy about that.”

The next assignment for India in their home season is three ODIs against New Zealand, starting from Wednesday in Hyderabad.

ALSO READ: India slaughter Lanka, sweep series

Categories
Sport Sports

Kohli’s ton propels India to 67-run victory over Lanka

Kohli was in imperious touch, picking slower deliveries with ease and ramping short balls over keeper’s head while maintaining the balance between front foot and back foot strokeplay and earned reprieves when his catches were dropped on 52 and 81…reports Asian Lite News

Virat Kohli’s 45th ODI century and captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill fifties powered India to a 67-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first game and 1-0 lead in the three-match series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, here on Tuesday.

An opening stand of 143 between Gill, who made 70 off 60 and Rohit, who smashed 83 off 67 balls, put India into ascendancy early and set the tone for a big total. Then Kohli smacked his second consecutive ODI century, 113 off 87 balls, making the most out of two reprieves while hitting 12 fours and a six for India to make an improbable 373/7.

In reply, Sri Lanka made 306/8, with Shanaka’s 88-ball 102 coming too late after opener Pathum Nissanka made 72 off 80 balls. Young tearaway pacer Umran Malik picked figures of 3/57, while Mohammed Siraj scalped an impressive 2/30. Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Hardik Pandya had a wicket each as the hosts’ now have 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

On a flat pitch with a lightning fast outfield, Kohli was initially watchful. He then got his first two boundaries by stylishly driving off his wrists against Shanaka and when Wanindu Hasaranga dropped short, he was quick to go on backfoot and whipped through mid-wicket for a brace of boundaries.

He had some serious timing in his drives, like driving on a length ball outside the off-stump off debutant Dilshan Madushanka run through the fast outfield for a boundary. He was magical in whips off wrists, like the one which went over mid-wicket for six and got him his fifty.

Kohli was in imperious touch, picking slower deliveries with ease and ramping short balls over keeper’s head while maintaining the balance between front foot and back foot strokeplay and earned reprieves when his catches were dropped on 52 and 81.

Soon, he got his second hundred at the venue off 80 balls, punching the air in delight and getting a roaring applause from the crowd. After picking two more boundaries, Kohli fell when his slog-sweep off Kasun Rajitha brought out a top-edge and was caught by the keeper, bringing an end to a spectacular knock.

Pushed into batting first, Rohit got going for India with a silken drive through mid-off for four off Kasun Rajitha in the opening over. From there, it was a boundary hitting show from Rohit and Gill, showcasing their full array of shots in an attractive display of stroke play in the power-play.

The most delightful of them was Gill cutting twice and slicing off Madushanka for a hat-trick of fours while Rohit was assured in his pulls off Rajitha as India got 75 off power-play. Rohit also survived two DRS calls on lbws before reaching his 47th ODI fifty with a sweep through backward square leg for four off leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

Gill also survived an lbw review on umpire’s call before bringing up his fifth half-century in 16 ODI innings off 51 balls. He did another hat-trick of boundaries when he whipped twice and brought out the drive once against left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage, before Rohit smacked a six over the bowler’s head.

The opening partnership ended when Gill was beaten on the flick and was trapped lbw by Shanaka. Four overs later, Rohit got a big inside edge off Madushanka and saw his off-stump being uprooted.

Shreyas Iyer upped the ante with quick boundaries, but mistimed the sweep to backward square leg off Dhananjaya de Silva. KL Rahul was productive in his 29-ball 39 before seeing his leg-stump being smashed off Rajitha.

Hardik and Axar Patel couldn’t do much with the bat as 17 runs came off the last three overs. But efforts of Kohli, Rohit, and Gill ensured India posted a large total as top six batters batted with a strike-rate above 100.

Chasing 374, Nissanka got going with three boundaries off Shami. But Siraj helped India bounce back with his immaculate line and length — forcing Avishka Fernando to miscue a leading edge to mid-off and then castling Kusal Mendis through the gate with a sharp nip-backer.

Nissanka was involved in a brief 41-run stand with Charith Asalanka, before Umran had the latter gloving behind to keeper, though replays later showed there was no bat involved. Nissanka continued to drive and sweep with ease while de Silva took time before driving, lofting and sweeping effortlessly.

The 72-run partnership ended when Shami got a length ball to swerve away and forced the latter to nick behind without any footwork, falling for 47. Six overs later, Nissanka’s fighting knock came to an end when he mistimed a pull to mid-wicket off Umran.

Hasaranga smacked Chahal for a brace of sixes over mid-wicket and lofted over cover for four. But the leg-spinner had the last laugh, as the right-handed batter holed out to deep mid-wicket. In the next over, Umran had Wellalage caught at first slip for a golden duck and fastened Sri Lanka’s crumbling.

Chamika Karunaratne fell to Hardik while trying to loft off him and hit straight to mid-on. Shanaka was waging a valiant battle for Sri Lanka, lofting uppishly while slamming and timing the ball hard to get boundaries and get his fifty in as many balls.

He continued to drive, loft, pull, and slash on the up before getting his century in 87 balls with a cover drive off Shami in the final over, after Rohit withdrew the appeal of his run-out from non-striker’s end when he was at 98.

Shanaka finished off the innings with a six over deep mid-wicket to bring the century of his partnership in 73 balls with Rajitha as well as the side’s 300. But it was insufficient for Sri Lanka to avoid a loss in the series opener.

Brief Scores: India 373/7 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 113, Rohit Sharma 83; Kasun Rajitha 3/88, Dasun Shanaka 1/22) beat Sri Lanka 306/8 in 50 overs (Dasun Shanaka 108 not out, Pathum Nissanka 72; Umran Malik 3/57, Mohammed Siraj 2/30) by 67 runs

ALSO READ: Malaysia Open: Indian shuttlers in quest for glory

Categories
Sport Sports

ICC Ranking: Labuschagne equals Kohli with a career-high rating

Head earns the rise on the back of his century against the West Indies in Adelaide and the 28-year-old could jump even higher during the upcoming Test series against South Africa…reports Asian Lite News

Australia’s in-form batter Marnus Labuschagne added another feather to his crown by drawing level with India great Virat Kohli on the all-time list and bringing up a new career-high rating on the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings.

The newly-crowned No.1 Test batter in the world, Labuschagne, who claimed the top ranking from England’s Joe Root earlier this month, moved further ahead at the top of the list for Test batters following an outstanding series against the West Indies.

The 28-year-old right-hander amassed a whopping 502 runs for the two-match series, with his magnificent knock of 163 during the first innings of the second Test in Adelaide helping Labuschagne join Kohli on a career-high rating of 937 points.

That brilliant performance sees Labuschagne now hold the equal 11th-best Test rating of all time and just three Australian players — Donald Bradman (961), Steve Smith (947) and Ricky Ponting (942) — have held better ratings, the ICC said in a report on its official website.

Labuschagne has four players just one rating point ahead of him on 938 rating points, with West Indies trio Gary Sobers, Clyde Walcott and Viv Richards and Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara.

Labuschagne isn’t the only Australian player achieving a career-high rating following the series against the West Indies — left-hander Travis Head also climbed up seven places on the Test batter rankings to sixth overall and a personal best of 774 rating points.

Head earns the rise on the back of his century against the West Indies in Adelaide and the 28-year-old could jump even higher during the upcoming Test series against South Africa.

England’s series triumph over Pakistan also saw a host of their players improve up the rankings this week, with young gun Harry Brook moving up 15 places on the Test batter rankings to 55th overall after his century in the second innings and Player of the Match performance in Multan.

Their pacers were also rewarded, with evergreen veteran James Anderson jumping one place to second overall on the Test bowler rankings and fellow quicks Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood also making ground on No.1 ranked Australian Pat Cummins.

Steve Smith has moved up two places to second with 875 points while Pakistan skipper Babar Azam had slipped one place to third with 871 points. Former England captain Joe Root dropped down a place to fourth with 848 points.

Rishabh Pant is the highest-ranked Indian, static at fifth with 801 points while Rohit Sharma retained his 10th position in the rankings with 746 points. Kohli is currently ranked 12th with 714 points. On Wednesday, he lost a chance of improving his position when could manage only 1 runs against Bangladesh in the first Test in Chattogram.

ALSO READ-Possession is not everything in Qatar 2022

Categories
Lite Blogs Sport Sports

Exciting and lesser-known facts for ‘King Kohli’ fans

5 lesser known facts about Virat Kohli.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Indian batsman and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar had a massive influence on Kohli when he was a young boy mentions the audiobook on Audible…reports Asian Lite News

This year marks the 34th birthday of Padma Shri, award-winning cricketer Virat Kohli. Whether knocking the highest number of double centuries in consecutive Test series or the fastest 1,000 runs in ODIs, Kohli has a flair for setting new records. Over the years, he has recharged Indian cricket with leadership, talent, and discipline. For all the ‘King Kohli’ fans out there, here are five exciting and lesser-known facts about him from his biography on Audible titled Virat Kohli.

Kohli was torn between his love for Cricket and Tennis

“There was a time when Virat Kohli had to pick between his love for Tennis and Cricket, but he eventually took to cricket due to the accessibility of the sport and the encouragement of the many important people in his life.” The audiobook further mentions “It was not until a few years later that he decided to pursue it professionally and make a career out of it”, as mentioned by the narrator.

His father’s demise changed his approach to the game

“Kohli’s father (Prem Kohli) was his biggest support system and the man who had helped him take his baby steps into the world of cricket by walking him into the West Delhi Cricket Academy(WDCA), tirelessly drove him around town so that he could chase his dreams, accompanied him for various cricket matches and made him believe that it was alright to fail as long as he had the courage to try again.”

Virat Kohli was deeply shocked by the unexpected demise of his father Prem Kohli, in December 2006.

“The way I approached the game changed that day. I just had one thing in my mind that I have to play for my country and live that dream for my dad,” shared Kohli in the audiobook on Audible.

The author further adds that “He turned even this personal tragedy into something inspiring. The same day of his father’s demise, Virat decided to continue playing a Ranji trophy match against Karnataka showing his extreme proficiency in the sport. Even after being extremely devastated by the events that transpired he was the first to report to the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium the next day.”

Virat

Sachin Tendulkar is his most looked up to icon and inspiration to pursue Cricket

Indian batsman and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar had a massive influence on Kohli when he was a young boy mentions the audiobook on Audible.

“After the Indian team had claimed the top spot in the ICC test rankings, Kohli acknowledged his (Sachin Tendulkar’s) presence with a bow. Kohli also carried his hero Tendulkar on his shoulders and paraded him proudly stating how he carried a burden for the nation for 21 years… The moment was symbolic and marked the last World Cup game for him (Sachin) who was passing on the mantle to the future of Indian cricket and was a dream come true for the Indian team,” shared the narrator. While talking about Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar mentions “Kohli’s biggest strength is to be able to analyze the situation and adjust his game. His match awareness is terrific”.

He loves football and has a stake in FC Goa

Kohli showed a keen interest in the franchisee-based sports league when it first arrived in India. He started off by buying a stake in FC Goa, a team in the Indian Super League football tournament that started in September 2014. “One of their highlights each year is a celebrity football match that raises funds for charity. In September 2014, he became the co-owner of ISL Football Club FC Goa in July 2016,” shared the narrator. “You can’t be a complete introvert. Some might think I’m pretty young to do something like this or it is a step taken too early, but nothing is too early. If you believe in something you have to put your 100 per cent commitment to it. I want football to grow in India,” Kohli said on his love for football and his intent to promote it.

While Virat Kohli is Vegan now, he was a true-blue desi foodie

“Besides cricket, Kohli’s second love has always been food. Ranging from eating burgers to butter chicken to his mom’s tasty delicacies, there was no cuisine he left untouched, making the most of anything scrumptious available on the streets of Delhi. He could not say no to an extra helping at dinner until he realised the need to maintain a healthy diet. Moreover, he was still a work in progress when it came to aspects such as fitness and attitude. A few journalists remember him jumping on fast food during interviews, oblivious to his dietary requirements. Away from the ground, he chose to hit the gym to get fitter, saying no to partying which people his age normally love. He developed other interests such as music and reading and was soon most comfortable in the company of a cookbook,” shared the narrator.

Despite all the fame and money that he’s earned, Kohli still remains true to the sport that has given him all the recognition. For cricket-crazy India, Kohli is a hero whom they can call their own and worship in the years to come.

ALSO READ-Janhvi feels like a fighter like her character in ‘Mili’

Categories
India News Sport Sports

‘Kohli should retire from T20Is’

'Kohli should retire from T20Is': Shoaib Akhtar gives bizarre advice after India beat Pakistan in T20 World Cup

Akhtar, who has supported Kohli during his low phase, termed it the ‘biggest’ performance of his life…reports Asian Lite News

Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar praised Virat Kohli for his memorable innings in the men’s T20 World Cup against arch-rivals Pakistan, albeit in a different manner.

The former Pakistan pacer came up with an unexpected take on Kohli regarding the star batter’s T20I career, advising him to retire from the shorter format of the game.

“He is back with a bang. I want him to retire from T20I because I don’t want him to put his entire energy into T20I cricket. With similar commitment like today, he can score three centuries in ODIs,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.

Akhtar, who has supported Kohli during his low phase, termed it the ‘biggest’ performance of his life.

“When you’re down, self-confidence has to be revived and when confidence gets consolidated, the character gets channelised and Virat Kohli is a personification of the same,” Akhtar said.

“He played the biggest innings of his life. He could play the knock because he had the self-belief and character,” he said.

Akhtar, who played 46 Tests and 163 ODIs, also lauded the efforts of the Pakistan team.

“Pakistan have done marvelously well. Don’t be down, you all really played well. India did really well… they won one of the best matches in history. It was a complete World Cup match. It had everything… dropped catch, run-out, no-ball, controversies, stumping,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.

“World Cup has just started, the World Cup begins only when India-Pakistan play and the two teams will face off again. Pakistan will see India again, later in this World Cup.”

ALSO READ: Kohli praises Ashwin’s bravery

Categories
India News PAKISTAN Sports

India beat Pakistan by 4 wickets, Kohli @ 82

All he could do was to nick behind to the keeper, leaving India at 26/3 in 5.3 overs. Things went from bad to worse for India as a mix-up in the middle for a non-existent single resulted in run-out of Axar Patel…reports Asian Lite News

Fourth Sunday of October. There was awesome swing, extra bounce, tearaway speed, momentum shifts, unreal strokeplay and spine-tingling drama on display on the eve of Diwali.

The biggest fireworks for the match, though, came from Virat Kohli’s bat which lit up the Melbourne night sky. The talismanic batter re-iterated why he is one of the best chasers in cricket, slamming an unbeaten 82 off just 52 balls and powering India to an incredible four-wicket victory over Pakistan in their first Group 2 match.

After the right-left fast-bowling duo of Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh picked three wickets each to restrict Pakistan to 159/8 in their 20 overs, Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40) shared a match-winning stand of 113 off 77 deliveries, lifting India from 31/4 to chase 160 on the last ball to get their campaign off to a winning start.

As India scored 55 runs in 11-15 overs, Pakistan brought back Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, who gave away just six runs each in the 16th and 17th overs respectively. With 48 needed off the last three overs, Kohli brought up his fifty by fetching a short ball from outside the off-stump to pull Shaheen Shah Afridi through mid-wicket for four and ended the over with another four, swivel-pulled over short fine leg.

Kohli then smacked back-to-back sixes off Rauf in the 19th over — a straight loft down the ground was followed by using the pace of the ball to flick off wrists over fine leg – to make it 16 runs needed off the final over.

Mohammad Nawaz dealt a huge blow on the first ball of the final over when Pandya miscued the slog and the thick edge went to cover-point. On the fourth ball, Kohli smacked a waist-high full toss high over a deep square leg fence for six, which was on a no-ball.

After Nawaz conceded a wide, Kohli and Dinesh Karthik ran three byes on the free-hit delivery before the latter was stumped on the fifth ball. Nawaz conceded a wide yet again and Ashwin finished off the chase with a loft over mid-off to win a thriller for India.

In pursuit of 160, India had a shaky start when K.L Rahul chopped onto his stumps off Naseem Shah in the second over. Two overs later, Haris Rauf had Rohit Sharma poking tentatively at a 145kph length ball and a thick edge flew to the first slip, who dived low for a sharp catch.

Suryakumar Yadav sweetly punched a drive off Rauf and then pulled off the front foot over mid-wicket to collect a brace of fours. But the right-arm pacer had the last laugh as his back of the length ball on stumps cramped Suryakumar for room, who looked to cut the ball away.

All he could do was to nick behind to the keeper, leaving India at 26/3 in 5.3 overs. Things went from bad to worse for India as a mix-up in the middle for a non-existent single resulted in run-out of Axar Patel.

Kohli and Pandya took some time before the latter drilled a straight drive off Shadab and smacked two sixes over long-on and deep mid-wicket off Nawaz, sandwiched between Kohli launching a glorious six over long-on to make it 20 runs off the 12th over.

Apart from collecting plenty of twos with Pandya, Kohli brought out his deft touch with a fine glance off Shaheen, cutting off his wrists past deep cover off Shadab and flicking past a diving short fine-leg off Shah to collect three quick fours, thus paving the path for him to be smiling with his arms aloft.

It was a masterclass in chasing in front of a packed MCG.

Earlier, electing to bowl first, Bhuvneshwar Kumar found some swing in the opening over. Arshdeep bowled a perfect first delivery in his T20 World Cup debut by trapping Babar Azam lbw for a golden duck and then cramped Mohammad Rizwan for room on the hook, hurrying him for pace and extra bounce as the top edge was caught by fine-leg.

From 15/2 in four overs, Ahmed (51) and Masood (52 not out) set about resurrecting Pakistan’s innings, sharing a 76-run partnership for the third wicket. The change in gears came when Ahmed hit four sixes off six balls between the 11th and 12th overs — once off Ravichandran Ashwin and thrice against Axar Patel — to reach his fifty in 32 balls.

But Shami came back in the 13th over trap Ahmed plumb lbw. Pandya then took over to have Shadab and Haider Ali holing out to the outfield within five balls. He followed it up by cramping Nawaz for room and nick behind to the keeper.

Arshdeep struck on the fourth ball of his second spell, bouncing out Asif Ali and giving the keeper a simple catch off the glove edge. Masood cracked consecutive fours off Shami to bring up his third T20I fifty. Though Shaheen and Rauf applied finishing touches with some boundaries, 159 proved to be insufficient for Pakistan to keep Kohli and India away from victory.

Brief scores: Pakistan 159/8 in 20 overs (Shan Masood 52 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 51; Hardik Pandya 3/30, Arshdeep Singh 3/32) lost to India 160/6 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 82 not out, Hardik Pandya 40; Haris Rauf 2/36, Mohammad Nawaz 2/42) by four wickets

ALSO READ-Kaur withdraws from WBBL due to back injury

Categories
Sports

Kohli ends lean patch, keeps RCB hopes alive

It was no surprise that Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis was pleased with Kohli being back to his best when his team needed him the most, killing the chase of 169 with a 115-run opening stand….reports Asian Lite News

March 67 of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium saw Virat Kohli ending his lean patch with a vintage knock of 73 off 54 balls to carry Royal Challengers Bangalore to fourth place in the points table by defeating Gujarat Titans by eight wickets, and keeping their playoffs hopes alive.

It was no surprise that Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis was pleased with Kohli being back to his best when his team needed him the most, killing the chase of 169 with a 115-run opening stand.

“Throughout the season we haven’t done as much as we have liked. But you still need to back these big players. Virat had been putting in the hard yards in the nets. I play the role with him and get him pumped up. He has got so much emotions and hype pulls you through. It is as if you are playing a rugby game,” said du Plessis after the match.

While it was jubilation for Bangalore, Gujarat huffed and puffed their way to 168, riding on captain Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 62 besides David Miller’s 34 and Rashid Khan’s cameo of 19 off just six balls. But the Gujarat skipper admitted that they were ten runs short of the total they would have liked to defend.

“It was just about a par score. Batting we did get 55 or 60 (50 runs) in the last five when the ball was stopping a bit but 168 we were quite happy. We wanted to give him (Ferguson) the opportunity a bit but the wicket was holding a bit where we thought the ones who could bowl slower balls or take the pace away would be a better option. We kind of got it back in the game as well but Maxwell playing the way he played, and a couple of chances there, we were 10 runs short in the end,” was Pandya’s assessment of the match.

Bangalore had reduced Gujarat to 62/3 in 8.3 overs with Glenn Maxwell’s one-handed screamer, diving full-length to his right at slip, sending Shubman Gill back to the pavilion off Josh Hazlewood. Du Plessis himself had a moment of fielding brilliance, inflicting the run out of Wriddhiman Saha with a direct hit from mid-off. But he wished for Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma to replicate what Kohli did on Thursday, against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.

“That catch (by Maxwell) was awesome. We were trying to get some wickets in the powerplay. The run-out was pretty cool as well. When I hit the stumps, I was like ‘what do you say about my arm now’? I think tonight was important for obvious reasons. You always want to finish strongly. A few inconsistent performances have put us in this situation. I am banking on Rohit to come good,” said du Plessis.

Pandya conceded that Gujarat will have to avoid losing wickets in clusters while batting as they pack their bags for Qualifier 1 in Kolkata on May 24.

“We were on the right path. We need to look after losing back-to-back wickets which we have spoken about in the past where, in T20 cricket if you lose back-to-back wickets, it puts you back a couple of overs. The learning is that in the playoffs, we don’t lose back-to-back wickets.”

Pandya signed off by saying that giving Matthew Wade the wicketkeeping duties was due to Saha feeling a hamstring strain. “It’s always good to score runs but more than anything, the way the boys are gelling and the way things are going, for us this game was a learning. He (Saha) was feeling his hamstring was tight. So just precautionary wise, we felt it was right to have Wadey (Wade) keep.”

ALSO READ-VVS Laxman likely to be India’s head coach for Ireland tour